Back To You
by SilverThornz
Summary: How would I describe our relationship? Well, it should be telling that my first instinct is to lash out and call you a monster-a selfish, egotistical child. But I won't. I know that as soon as I do, you'll do everything in your power to make me take it back. It's just what you do. And I guess it's just what I want.
1. Chapter 1: Batman

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, only my original characters and original plot. Anyone actually reads these? I could say awful things right here and no one would probably notice...I won't though, just in case.

**Back To You**

Chapter One: Batman

* * *

"If I fell in love...I'd like for it to hurt." Naomi said with a smile. "Otherwise they wouldn't call it falling, you know? They'd call it cascading or floating gently. It would be a nice word."

"And that, my love, is why you had to put a restraining order out on your last boyfriend." Diana replied smartly, knowing full well, that that would never happen to her. "That's why he is in jail right now."

* * *

Everything he did infuriated her. Even as he refused to look at her now, it did nothing but add fuel to her fire.

In truth, he was helping her really, because she knew if he softened only a touch—gave her that wonderfully sweet smile of his—she'd forgive him all over again. Diana would drape her arms around his shoulders as he worked, watching as he watched over some unsuspecting criminal, mumbling to himself. And she'd love it. Oh, she'd_ live _for it. She does…every time.

Diana, on the other hand, always found her friends _so stupid_ when they did this for guys—allowed them to take advantage of their kindness. She'd break her brains onto the walls trying to get some self-esteem into their minds. Hell, she'd tell them how utterly worthless the guy was. She'd berate them down to their untied shoes and mismatching clothes. She'd take a sledgehammer to their shapeless bodies, and grungy hair. "He has money, Naomi! Why is he dressing like a bum? Hmph? Why? Because he doesn't care about you—that's why."

That's what she said. That's what she always said. But, they didn't know she was a hypocrite. They would know if they flew to Japan and found her here, screaming at a guy who wasn't even her boyfriend. Diana could see the headlines: Diana Belle Spotted Screaming at a Seemingly Homeless Gentleman in Jeans and a White T-Shirt About Her Unrequited Love for Him. _See more on page 6._

She could count on one hand the amount of times they had kissed in the last three years. She could count on three hands the amount of relationships she had sabotaged because he'd creep out of nowhere and distract her again, him and his weird sugar fetish. She could be in Miami, Hollywood, Tokyo, Milan, Paris, London or Atlanta. It didn't matter—he could be just as many places as she could. He'd find her. And she'd resist at first, she would, then he'd work her like any other case. He'd work her and then she'd crack like Naomi after she found out her boyfriend had been stalking her. She'd give in like a parent at a candy shop with a child, too cute to refuse, pestering them.

It would amaze most people how many guys she'd ignore, because he even seemed the _least_ bit jealous. Because she never wanted him to be uncomfortable. She never wanted to ward him away before he was able to make up his mind. And how many months had she waited for that to happen? Laughable.

Before she met L, she _never_ did this. She _never_ made exceptions, but she told herself:

_He's different. _

_He's not like everyone else. _

_He's exceptional. _

_He doesn't know what he's doing._

_He's this…He's that…and, most importantly, he's L._

He's L. That had been the biggest excuse. He's L. He's L. He's—

She replayed the excuses in her mind and wanted to flinch away from them—they made her physically bat away the memories until they hid in the shadows of her mind. They embarrassed her so much she wanted to pretend she'd pulled them from a different person—another life.

"_You_ are the most selfish, manipulative human being I have ever met," she said wringing her hands. "I hate that I ever _met_ you, I _hate_ that you ever helped me…I…I…I hate that you _even_ exist! I HATE YOU."

L's sighs came from deep within, made deeper—she imagined—by his strangely endearing posture. She found most things he did endearing and that made her sick to her stomach. "You don't mean that." He said without inflection, staring at the TV screens before him. She had no doubt, they had his full attention. She was lucky he even gave her 1% of it. "You're just angry."

_Just angry?_ She laughed incredulously. If only that were true. If only…

* * *

_/ Two and Half Years Earlier\\\\\_

* * *

Diana's eyes swept over the room. It was normal for the Waldorf Astoria. Everything in the room was ornate, glittering, trimmed with gold and decorated with red velvet. The large window, with crisscrossing gold covering glass was spot less, revealing the storming night beyond. Rain enveloped the city, making the lights below appear even brighter than normal, reds, greens and yellows sprung back at her and she couldn't help but sigh. It brought her absolute peace. The rush, the excitement in her heart stilled to a lull. Slowly, she tore her eyes away and turned in the direction of the figure perched on the gold patterned couch.

Directly in front of him a spread of desserts were laid out, ranging from cakes to tea and cookies. The figure watched her from beneath a curtain of hair, his dilated eyes bulging out at her. He was almost sickly pale with the darkest rings she had ever seen beneath his eyes. He held his thumb against his mouth as he watched her silently. Her lips parted as if to speak but no sound escaped them. Diana finally noticed that he was actually crouching, his back curving over his knees that were pulled close to his chest. His feet, much like the claws of a bird, acted like an anchor keeping him steady. He wore jeans and a white long-sleeved t-shirt…certainty not what she expected. But his gaze was so haunting, so absolute, she couldn't find it in herself to speak.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Belle," the man said, "even if that isn't your real name."

Outraged, Diana's manager, Logan Tracey, took a step forward, "And exactly who are you supposed to be?" Logan spat, coming dangerously close to the strange man who didn't so much as glance at him. His odd eyes didn't move from Diana. He seemed almost…shy. Was that it? Either way, she returned his gaze with a smile, waving at him slightly with her fingers. He only rubbed his bare feet together. "Where is L? He promised to see her! Where is he?"

Logan reached for the strange man, but as he did, a cloaked figure reached out to restrain him stepping out of nowhere like he'd been there the whole time.

"I suggest you take a step back, Mr. Tracey," this new figure said, something about the reserve and directness of his tone instantly reminded Diana of Alfred, Batman's one and only caretaker and friend. "The detective L will be out shortly. He is waiting by that door there," the man gestured with the hand that didn't hold Logan, several feet away, at the other end of the room, double doors stood, undoubtedly leading into a bedroom. "He agreed to meet with Miss Belle and Miss Belle alone. You understand that with the nature of his work, his true identity cannot be revealed, lest it risks his anonymity."

Logan's nostrils flared, "How could you even ask that? How do I even know I can trust you with her? Who'll protect her?"

"There are several policemen stationed throughout this hotel. I assure you," the man said gently, "Miss Belle is safe."

"But—"

"Logan."

Logan's shoulders slumped and he turned back to look at Diana who'd hand her arms crossed, all of the fear drained from her face.

"I'll see you as soon as I'm done." Diana replied, "L's risking a lot just agreeing to see me. The least we can do is this."

He covered his face with his hand, cutting her off from the large brown eyes of his, childlike, in comparison with his large athletic build. "But your life is already at stake. He hasn't had anyone attempt to murder him in the last couple of days. He risks nothing!"

Diana closed her eyes, fighting with him was draining, especially when she already felt like falling down. "Logan, please. I'll fill you in later."  
"_Die_." He urged, his eyes pleading, begging, a large crease appearing between his dark brow, somehow only adding to his face and his rich brown skin, several shades darker than her caramel color.

"_Lo," _she replied with a smile, shortening his name as he did hers."I'll be fine," she took a step toward him and cupped his right cheek, he leaned into her palm and she immediately wanted to pull back, suddenly afraid of the strange look he was giving her. "I promise."

After a moment, she dropped her hand and stepped back. She gave him a dizzying smile—the celebrity smile—she called it. It was a smile she wore to hide what was within, the fear. She hadn't used it since she was little, she never had to anymore. Diana was successful, internationally loved and known. This was the first incident, since her climb to the top, that she'd been upset about anything. Life in the limelight was hard but it was not more than what she'd signed up for. Her father had been a famous jazz musician and her mother a surgeon. She understood what it felt like to be watched, loved, hated even, but never to this extent. Never.

Logan's eyes softened immediately, swimming with that look that made Diana uncomfortable to be in the same room with him. "I'll be outside."

She nodded and watched him as he was directed out of the maze-like suite.

"Miss Belle," the man said again, stealing her attention once again.

"Yes?"

"How well do you know Mr. Tracey? He has been your manager since you were fifteen, right?" he said this all matter-of-factly, like he didn't even need for her to answer.

"You've done your homework," Diana said, and quickly replied, "That's right. I know him pretty well."

"Huh," he dropped his gaze now, reaching for a cup of tea only to drop four sugar cups in it and stirring it slowly. With a smile, she took a step forward, "If you don't mind, Miss Belle." This man said, "I'd appreciate it if you stayed there."

She didn't attempt to hide her shock at his request, "Why?" and then she looked over him again, the pallor of his skin, "do you get sick easily?"

"Not more than anyone else I suppose," he responded, slurping down his tea in a manner that Diana found to be loud and disturbing. "But that's not why I asked you to stay there. Watari?"

The man from the shadows, stepped toward her suddenly, his hands raised as if to show her he meant no harm. "Could I take your jacket, Miss Belle?"

"Of course," she shrugged it off and folded it for him, her left eye brow still quirked in question. "What now?"

"Now," the man with the dilated eyes asked, "we remove the recording, Mr. Tracey slipped into your pocket."

"What?" she couldn't help but narrow her eyes, as she watched the man called Watari, unfold her jacket and rip something away from the coat that had been sewed into the outside of the pocket. Diana's breath caught in her throat, she couldn't breathe, couldn't move as Watari walked away with the tiny piece of machinery and disappeared into a doorway.

It unfolded before her eyes like a scene in a movie—every move plotted and laid out in minutes. It was strange that in reality it only took seconds to begin and end.

"Well," the guy said, "I misspoke. Slipping implied it wasn't planned nearly as far in advance as it was. No. Even something as small as this took some effort to plan…"

He trailed off, seeming to forget Diana was even there as he devoured a strawberry piece of cake in two bites. Diana grimaced as he continued to talk with his mouth full. "I'd even wager…no. I'd say that he did this as far as two weeks ago. Being a rather close manager, judging by the way he looks at you, he has had ample access to your wardrobe. He's probably even having you followed."

Through all this, Diana said nothing, barely registering his words. _Logan?_

"But rest assured, Miss Belle. This, by no means, makes him our culprit. It does however, make him more of a suspect. Tell me, how long has he had these affections for you?"

"I…" Diana dropped her arms, and thought about running from the room. This man was L. There's no doubt. It was odd that he wasn't trying to hide that fact from her. "I don't know. I didn't notice until just recently, until the attacks started."

"Naturally," L muttered nonchalantly under his breath.

"_What_?" What the hell was that supposed to mean?

He didn't answer, only proceeded to reach for another piece of strawberry cake, gobbling up. She gagged a little as she watched him.

With her eyes narrowed, she asked again. Still she received no answer. Finally, after he devoured yet another piece of cake she wrung her hands and marched over to the couch. Diana took the seat beside him and he instantly stiffened, as if being this close to another human being was not something he ever wanted to experience….EVER.

"It's L, right?" she asked nicely, "Can you explain any of this to me?"

"I could," he said, turning slightly as if to put more distance between them, "But it wouldn't help any."

She felt the anger building in her chest, but she fought it with everything she was, her words came out as sweet as she could make them,"And why is that?"

"Uh, L," Watari had somehow slipped into the room, "Perhaps we should make Miss Belle feel more comfortable—"  
"_Before_ we start calling her an idiot?" Diana said evenly, rising to her feet, "I understand a lot of things, L. I get that you're a genius. I do. I get that when it comes to the mind, you are my superior. I also get that you took the time out of your day to help me—to give me protection. And I thank you for it," she reached toward him and clasped his shoulder, making him stiffen again, "But I won't be treated like a child. If you have something to say…I suggest you say it. Believe me when I say I am more than capable of handling even the most elementary of concepts. For example," she began in a sarcastic voice, "It took me a while but I finally figured out what the word _suspect_ meant and it only took me…five minutes. New record."

If he found her sarcasm annoying he made no move to address it. He just stared, unblinkingly.

"I wasn't with-holding information because I figured you were incapable of understanding it," L replied looking up at her with those doey eyes of his, "I only assumed you wouldn't believe me…or would at least call me a liar. Strangely, it's a common human reaction to rebel against something that doesn't fit with your view of the world."

Diana laughed, suddenly feeling silly. "That makes sense."

He peered at her, the thumb at his lip again, looking like a child and a man all at once. A combination that made her feel safer than she'd felt for a while. How fascinating he was. Maybe it was because her nerves were shot. Maybe being chased around her apartment by a stalker had somehow left her open and impressionable. She didn't question it further. She removed her hand, and pulled her knees up under her.

"So…" L said lowly, "do you believe me?"

She gave him a strange look, "Of course I do. You don't exactly look like a liar."

"I assure you," He replied, sucking on his fingers. "a lot of people don't particularly _look_ like liars. I know…I've arrested quite a few of them."

She laughed again, her shoulder brushing his as she did.

"Hey," she said, her voice going softer, "Why did you agree to meet me in person? You've never shown your face before…so why now?"

"I'm a fan," He said dryly, but it didn't seem sarcastic. It was like he was stating an irrevocable fact. He did that a lot, she noticed. "I saw you when you performed at Wammy's House in Winchester, England."

"Winchester! Oh, loved Winchester! The kids were adorable, these three in particular were my favorite…"

L didn't interrupt her as she babbled, only watched her with his finger pressed to his lip.

"…the little boy with white hair couldn't even look at me. The ginger haired boy, Mello, wouldn't let go of me…he and this cute one named Matt."

"You must like children."

"I do," she admitted, pulling a wild black-brown hair behind her ear, "Anyway…back to business," she turned her body so she was facing him. Her hands were still shaking from shock, but she was pretty good at distracting herself. "Amaze me, Mr. Wayne."

He looked at her with those eyes again and she leaned forward, embracing this pull she felt. This gravity, knowing full well that it was a really bad idea. "What is it? Have you never heard of Batman?  
"Of course I've heard of it," L responded rubbing his feet together, it was like they were sentient, existed separate from him. "I've…just never been compared."

"It's a compliment," she said with a smile, "I _love_ Batman."

* * *

Author's Note: I will finish my other stories. I just re-watched Death Note and got this idea. Don't hate me! Almost done with my latest How I Met Your Father chapter. If anyone is interested in seeing _this _story unfold, let me know by leaving a review or follow or whatever. But, I swear, I will finish How I Met Your Father by the end of this year. I promise.


	2. Chapter 2: Unreasonable

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, only my Original Plot and characters. Any similarities to any real-life people or events are purely coincidence.**

**Also, thank you Minerva Andromeda for the first review! I was so excited to see it so soon! Thank you so much!**

**Chapter 2: Unreasonable**

* * *

"Diana isn't conceited." Kat said.

"Aw, Thanks Kat." Diana smiled at her.

"she just automatically assumes people like her which, when you think about it, is better than assuming everyone just hates you." Kat finished with a flourish.

Diana pulled back at that, "Um…"

Naomi scrunched her face up, "Yeah…Yeah! I think I'll try that too—"

"But," Kat started, "Just don't try it with guys, we don't want a repeat of what happened with Michael Moore."

"Ah, Michael Moore." Naomi sighed, "I hate that he blocked my number."

* * *

_Two And a Half Years Earlier_

* * *

Diana knew one thing for sure after being around L for more than an hour.

He was no Batman.

"Miss Belle," L had Watari cart in a long tray of freshly baked sweets and the older gentleman began picking up the discarded wrappers and cleaned plates from the last desserts. "Would you like some? I'll share."

She wasn't particularly hungry, or maybe she was—she couldn't be sure, but the assorted fruit looked pretty good. The blueberries, in particular, made her mouth water, and the Great Detective was choosing to ignore them, his skeleton like hands darting in and out of the tray with the quickness of a cat. But, watching him pinch and play with his food before he ate it—rather greedily—was as appealing as watching someone draw blood or yank out a rotting tooth. "No…I think, I'm okay."

"Hmph. So…" he pinched a rectangular piece of cantaloupe between his fingers, before he dropped it into his mouth. "Miss Belle," he swallowed, "I know for certain that you've already recounted your story to the police, and I realize it may be difficult for you, but I'd like for you to tell me exactly what happened, however you remember it. Please try to be as thorough as possible. It will be a great help to the investigation."

"Of course," she answered, watching as Watari poured her a hot cup of tea and handed it to her along with a blanket. "Thank you, Mr. Watari."

"You're welcome, Miss Belle." He responded warmly.

Diana rather liked his face, grandfather like, bushy mustache and white hair. His voice was deep, but not monotone like L's. It was easy to judge by Watari's voice if he was pleased. L on the other hand…they had been speaking for an hour now and she still knew absolutely nothing about him. That was probably the idea though, considering how quickly they deceived her manager and shoved him from the room. She didn't blame them though, she wouldn't want Logan in the room either if she could help it. He had a habit of asserting himself to the point of bullying his audience. She was the exception, usually, anyway.

Pulling the soft, fleece lined blanket tighter, she took a deep breath. "I guess I should start from the beginning…"

()()()_Two days Earlier_()()()

Naomi's loud sob makes Diana's eyes break from the TV. She's crying…again. Not that Diana could ever fully focus on the television anyway, Naomi made it difficult.

"I—I m-mean h-he s-said…he s-said," Naomi liked to hiccup when she cried, her voice shaking, if they weren't on two different sides of the United States, Diana would be rubbing her back in a clockwise motion just to get her to calm down. "He said he loved me!"

Her voice cut off with a scream, and Diana had to hold the phone away from her ear even though it was on speaker. She could hear the girl practically choking on her own tears. This happened all the time. The two of them grew up together and Naomi has been breaking up and losing her mind since she turned thirteen. If Naomi wasn't screaming her head off about some weirdo, she wasn't living. Some people liked the drama. They liked the thrill of the pain.

Diana had her own problems, but this one, she had very little experience with. "I know, sweetie, I know."

"I loved him!" Naomi blew her nose so loudly, it seemed to have scared her dog Charlie Tutu (coincidentally, that was the name of her childhood crush and yes, his last name was Tutu). Charlie Tutu started barking rabidly, undoubtedly thinking there was some threat to the owner. Diana thought he'd be used to it by now.

"I know…I know…" Diana cooed from the other end, her eyes reading the subtitles on the flat screen television.

_Gigi Devereaux star of the hit show, "Burn," was recently hospitalized after an intruder broke into her home…._

"He said he loved me, Diana! _He_ said it f-first," she broke off again, blowing her nose.

_Apparently, the actress had received several threatening phone calls before incident, but none of the local police had taken it seriously…New York Chief of Police released a statement earlier this morning apologizing for the grave lapse in judgement._

"Was he lying?" Naomi managed to ask.

"Yes, sweetie, he was lying." Diana said softly, glancing down at her phone to spam Kat's phone. Why did no one else pick up when the girl called? Naomi and Kat were at _least_ in the same time zones. What a traitor. Diana always had to do the legwork.

_Having previously investigated claims by the actress that proved to be false, they were hesitant to devote the man power…_

"But we didn't even have sex!" she screamed, "Yeah, I might have gone down on him, but…I still didn't give it up…not really. It was only one time…or t-two. I don't count the other time, I barely felt that one..."

"Mhm-hm." Between letting Kat have it, listening to Naomi, and reading the screen she felt pretty proud of herself for multi-tasking.

_Authorities report that no one was seriously hurt, but the star is severely shaken. Her representatives ask for privacy and prayers going forward._

Diana had never been friends with the actress, in fact, she knew for a fact that Gigi hated her. Still, "That's terrible."

"That's what I've been saying!" Naomi screamed, and Diana glanced down at the letter she had found amongst her pile of pre-approved fan mail. She'd gotten this one today.

It was no more than a little message on crisp cardstock. Someone had gone through several magazines to craft the sentence, each letter either eclipsing or shrinking in comparison to the next letter. It was like it was drawn from some badly written movie:

"_I love you, Diana. I'm the only one that loves you."_

It dripped with crazy.

She'd ignored the first one. But…now it was starting to feel creepy. It's not like anyone could reach her though, she couldn't leave the room without all eyes on her, Klein, her current head of security made sure of that.

"It'll be fine," she said, more to herself than to Naomi, but the girl still responded with a wail. Diana caught herself, "Oh, don't do that Naomi, put those keys down! _Now!_ I'm not joking with you! Put them down or lose my number—_yes_, I mean it."

_Tough love_, Diana thought, _she just needs some tough love…_

The next day, after having finished shooting for GQ's June cover, she entered the hotel she was staying at through the parking garage. Through there, she could use her room key to take her directly to her penthouse suite—a room she aptly titled The Apartment. It wasn't particularly large, housing only three bedrooms, a kitchen, dining area, and living room with a television and all necessary amenities. It had its own terrace to overlook the city which was dotted with flowers and potted trees. It was quaint, cute, and whenever she was in Manhattan, she picked this place. Sure, she could have stayed elsewhere—anywhere, but she like this hotel because it worked around her whims and schedule. If she called ahead, they had her room vacant and waiting. She took precedence. In fact…this hotel was the entire reason she and Gigi even had a problem. As she used her key card on the elevator, thinking back to the news, she felt a pang of regret bite inside her stomach.

It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but…still.

Four members of Diana's security stepped out with her, four others took the stairs and five more were positioned at various points throughout the hotel. Logan Tracey, her manager, had begged her to take extra precautions when she traveled to New York. He would be coming to New York as well, but would be delayed by a few days. Her personal assistant, Brittania, suffered a similar fate. She was just getting over the flu and it would be irresponsible for Diana to let her even move from her bed.

But, regardless, she did as she was asked. She kept to herself, kept as low a profile as she could manage. She didn't attract attention, kept her head low and avoided all cameras. Klein had instructed all security personnel to treat every uninvited approach to Diana as a threat on her life….

That was a little overkill, but Klein was like that. He had worked in the FBI briefly before working for her. For him, every day was showtime. All the lights, all the flashes, all the people in the world couldn't stop him from his job. He'd actually said that to her once, and she had laughed, thinking it was a joke. But the man didn't blink. He was only twenty-nine, ten years her senior, but there he was. He didn't freeze. He didn't blink. He didn't hesitate. That's one reason why she liked him so much. She could relate to that feeling. When she felt something strong enough, she didn't hesitate, damn the consequences. Come to think of it, that was probably why she and Naomi were such good friends. They dived in, the first to say, "Fuck it."

Diana bit her lip, she took this approach to most of the guys she dated, not that there were very many. But, you know the media, they made everything into a big deal.

It had worked in Diana's favor so far, but…life had a way of screwing you over. At least, that's what her father had said in almost all of his songs.

Klein had recently taken leave to witness the birth of his son. He had been reluctant to leave her in light of the 'love notes' she had been getting, but these things were common. Diana and Klein both knew that she had been getting little things like this since her debut. Only, what worried him was that this was the first time that one her little 'notes' had gotten pass inspection. He had all of her fan mail searched thoroughly, if he found something dangerous, he hardly told her what it was. She'd like to try to guess, and he'd ignore her. Klein was like a big brother in that way, always trying to do what he thought best for her.

And, like a good sister, she was doing what she thought best for him. "Don't let you wife divorce you," she said, "Be next to her when your little boy is born and send me pictures."

He sheepishly agreed, leaving Dorne in charge instead. She liked Dorne, but…he was colder than Klein, he didn't always keep her updated on the goings on. But, he and Logan knew each other before he came to work for her. She knew he was trustworthy.

Adams and Wilt stood guard outside her door as she entered her suite. Dorne would be set up in another room somewhere…Klein would have told her, but Dorne was harder to talk to. She avoided it when she could. She'd be glad when she got Klein back.

She called for room service and collapsed on the couch, not bothering to slip into something more comfortable, if she knew Logan, he'd be showing up soon and she liked to have all of her clothes on when he was present. He was _not_ going to catch her in her pajamas today. He got too personal then, calling her beautiful more than what was necessary. Being used to something didn't make it any less disturbing.

As the hours dragged by, she texted Naomi, refusing to take her calls just then. She and Kat were still arguing over who would do the babysitting once Diana got back. Kat had some excuse about her internship, but the girl only worked three days a week. She had time.

Finally, after too long, she decided to go into her room to watch TV. Sure, there was a television in the living area, but she liked to lay back on her pillows and listen to the TV rather than watch it. Besides, she liked the idea of making Logan wait outside while she took her time.

She rolled her eyes as she collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. If she had to be vindictive, there was a problem. Torelei was right, after the year was up, she'd have to let him go. That was all there was to it. _I might start to hate him if I don't._

Was that cruel? They had known each other for so long, and he did work hard for her. He didn't even work for anyone else—said he didn't need or want to. She was his superstar…his only star….

She'd fallen asleep fully dressed, her lips almost kissing her remote control. She didn't remember closing her eyes, but…did anyone ever?

Diana rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she twisted around and stretched her arms high toward the ceiling. Her lacey shirt rose with her exposing her midriff to the ice in the air. She immediately jerked her arms back down and blew hot air into her hands. For a moment, she thought she'd see smoke from her breath waft around. She blew again. Did she turn up the thermostat? It was like a freezer.

It was black too, the only light just barely peeped through the curtains. Shivering, she sniffled, and tried to peer out onto the balcony just to see if she was seeing the sun or if the lights from the outside were the source. The long curtains were drawn, covering even the simple translucent fabric beneath. Only a sliver of light peeped through, it was enough for her to see the edge of the bed. She noticed then that she couldn't hear the TV. It must have shut off automatically like the lights.

It was so quiet…the only noise came from the obnoxious sound of the air conditioner. Which reminded her that she was _trembling _with cold.

_God, I need a hot shower. I just need to run in there and get it done. _Once she had the water running everything would be over, she'd be warm and then she'd have the courage to find the thermometer and shut it down. She would've just sunk into her sheets if they weren't icy to the touch.

"Urgh, I don't want to get up," she whined.

Hyping herself up, _Let's do this, Diana, we can do this,_ she rolled off the bed and ran for the ensuite bathroom. Her hands found the chilled knob and she gave it a twist.

Locked.

"Fuck." She let her head hit the door, _How the hell did I do that? It's fine, there's more than one bathroom in this—_

She turned her head to her left. Just under the loud blarring of the air conditioner she thought she had heard a sniffle.

Diana stopped breathing, thoughts racing. She didn't move.

If she felt along this wall she'd run right into the doors out of the room. _Where's my phone? Where's my…couch. It's on the couch…in the other room. Just walk calmly, I didn't actually hear a sniffle. Even if I did, just breathe…walk out of the room. Walk out of the room…I didn't hear a damn thing…_

She did just that, moving slow until she movement behind her.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck_

Scrambling against the wall, she heard a crash against the mattress, and she threw herself against the door just as she heard feet hit the wood floor.

Her momentum sent her into the opposing wall, but she ran straight into the sitting room towards her phone. Footsteps pounded behind her as she almost slipped on the floors glossy finish. She grabbed a lamp to her right and threw it at the whoever was chasing her. It missed by a mile, but she didn't stop there. She dived around the couch and snatched up her cellphone, her side hitting the coffee table hard. She waited until he'd started to dive at her before she moved, so in the brief moment she sat there, she watched the black masked intruder's eyes widen: icy blue. The intruder was rather slim, but she didn't put it past whoever the fuck it was to be a killer. She assumed automatically it was a man, just by the way he lumbered toward her as she rolled to her feet and knocked a side table in his path.

"Shit!" he cursed loudly, as she randomly threw this and that. She wasn't thinking. She just moved. If she paused to think, he'd get her, she knew that. The weird thing was, only when she thought back to this moment, he didn't seem that invested in the chase. He was trying but…not really. If he was smart, he would have gone for the cellphone first. So when she flipped it open and hit the number five button, she knew the game was almost over, if it wasn't already. Dorne would know. He would come.

Still she didn't stop, she ran straight for the exit, yanking down another useless side table and chucking it at him. Diana heard that one connect.

"FUCK, YOU BITCH!"

And this was her stalker?

Her fingers pulled at the door. _It's locked, it's locked_, she stumbled with the lock, pulling it open just as the man slammed into her. He took her breath away and she flailed for air. He grabbed at her shirt, pulling hard and then out of the blue he let go and the two of them fell backwards. She landed on his chest, the back of her head smacking with a crack against his nose. She'd have a bump, but she'd live.

She scrambled to her feet heading straight toward the double doors. She thought she'd see her guards, but the hall was deserted. She pressed the elevator button, but waiting would be suicide. Instead she ran straight for the stairs, taking them two at a time until she made it down to an actual floor. She should have stopped at someone's room and kept banging until someone knocked on a door. She kept going, until she went straight into the lobby. Her mind was flying before her, she was aware of nothing. She was just looking for an L. That's all her eyes searched for. L.

L. L. L. L. L.

_Yes_, she reached the lobby floor, opened the door and stumbled face first into a hard body.

Her first instinct was to knee whoever it was hard in the groin.

So, she did, and took off until she was out in the open and she could see the a few of the front desk clerks turn their head to see her. A woman with a tight bun sprang to her feet, meeting Diana as she ran forward. "Call the p-police." She stammered, looking back just to see her manager Logan Tracey pick himself off the ground, legs twitching, eyes watering.

In truth, she felt no remorse. He ran upon her. That's what he got.

"Call the police," she ordered again, getting a muffled reply from the woman as Diana's brain finally dropped its survival mode. Breathing hard, she managed to bring herself over to him, cup his face. At last, she managed to get herself to stop from seeing red.

"Die…are you alright? Where's your security?"

"My…" she frowned, glancing around the hotel. Eyes were all on her now, but…she hadn't ran into a single soul as she escaped from the penthouse. People with bags, people with phones. People with cameras.

The lights started to flash, the gasps came back to her like someone had just hit a gong. She hid her face into his jacket, and he called for hotel security while they waited for the police to arrive. He words too her went on deaf ears. She could only hear the pounding of her own heart.

Later, after the ordeal was through, she'd find out that the intruder had died of a heart attack. That explained why he had suddenly let go. The whole mess hit the media at the crack of dawn.

The police were then stationed at her new room, questioning her every hour on the hour, and she received a mysterious email in the moments that followed from her best friend Naomi. The police, save for the chief himself, had been hesitant for her to even see it, but he overruled the rest easily enough. Naomi, of course, hadn't sent the email.

How he managed to get a hold of the email address was beyond her. How he managed to get it to her without any snooping was even more impressive. What wasn't impressive is that as soon as she read the email on her laptop, she was instructed to destroy it. But that hardly mattered, she could have a million laptops. She had only one life.

Once she was put through a safe connection, she was able to find out one thing.

The email had, in fact, come from the great detective himself.

"_Diana Bellamy Ellington De Bussey, professionally known as Diana Belle, it is a pleasure to meet you. I…am L."_

()()()

Diana found herself shaking, only minutely. She stared down at her right hand, tightening the muscles as if to stop the jumpy movements. It helped a little, but not really.

"That's it…" she said after getting no response from the detective. "Logan led me out and then the police arrived…."

Blinking the heat behind her eyes away, she focused her attention on the detective. He watched her as she spoke, his hooded eyes never moving from her face. All the while, he bit down on his thumb nail on one hand, while the other hand clutched his knee. She had a tutor who stood kind of like that—birdlike. Dr. Mentley…he was eccentric too, often dying his grey hair red and pausing only naturally enough to have a large role in a soap opera.

It was almost jarring, being stared at like that, especially because he didn't bother to blink at all during this time. "Um…L?"

"Yes?" L found it no trouble to speak with that thumb nail against his lips.

"Is everything…okay?"

He tilted his head, now, eyes so intense the look was almost comical. If he wasn't a batman, he was certainly a birdman. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

Diana felt her lips turn up, only slightly in a smile. "You haven't blinked."

The thumb slipped, and finally, he did in fact blink, it was like turning on a computer after it had been put to sleep.

Diana leaned toward him, there was that stiffness again. It was like his entire body was a muscle, and she had just dropped three hundred pounds on his shoulders. "I can't tell if you're looking at me or _through_ me."

"Does that bother you?" L asked randomly, his tone light, curious, now throwing in a few normal blinks, probably just to show he _could_ blink.

She giggled, and almost couldn't believe it was happening. Was this real? How come she hadn't questioned it before? Was this odd human being the great L? "No. I'm used to being watched, hazard of the profession. Still, it can be a bit creepy if not unsettling."

"I see, and do you find the way I'm looking at you now creepy or unsettling?" Again, his tone held no accusation, only curious like he was asking her to explain why she liked a particular pair of shoes.

"Not at all, you're so focused…it's more intimidating than creepy. It's almost like you're challenging me right now, to see if I'll break." She said, dropping her eyes from his to stare at whole face instead. She guessed that meant she did break. Still, despite being a sugar addict, by the looks of him, his skin was absolutely without flaw. Smooth and he didn't seem to care. She doubted he concerned himself with such things. His face was symmetrical too, as if he had been carved from stone. In the right light, he'd almost be handsome. But…in all fairness, she also hadn't slept in a while. "But I bet you get that a lot."

"Not really," He murmured. "You're the first person who's ever said that to me."

Was that a bad thing? "I'm sure your friends tell you all the time."

"No. I don't really have friends."

That threw up a big wall for her right there, all this momentum and boom! And he said it so casually, so without any emotion behind it. It was empty, a fact, something you could grab from an encyclopedia or a 'Things You Didn't Know About' blogpage.

"Does that disturb you, Miss Belle?"

Her face must have told it all, she was much too tired to hide her expressions well, or he was much too skilled not to notice. "It doesn't disturb me…it's just surprising."

"Hm," he didn't have her elaborate any further, that thumb returning to his mouth. At a moment's notice, he had reached forward to grab a slice of cake from the table, wasting no time to cut a piece with his fork and bring it into his mouth.

"I have a theory; however, I believe nothing short of surveillance would reveal its legitimacy. If my deduction is true, the suspect will strike again. I imagine he's probably biding his time now, waiting for the storm to blow over. If he has any common sense, he'll give it a week—two before making even a small move…" The detective, stared at his next forkful of cake, raising it high, examining it. "It'll be subtle, a move meant to isolate you—"

So, he was speaking to her, Diana couldn't tell at first. It was like he was all alone, stranded in his own mind.

"You won't be, but he won't know that. Judging by what you've just told me, he thinks he cares for you a great deal, moreso than even your friends…. He doesn't believe you're capable of making your own decisions. He's your caretaker, your guardian, your perfect companion. You don't need anyone else, you _won't_ as long as he's with you. This incident is all a show—an act to prove how much you really need him. It was a ploy. These attacks won't stop until he's proven his point. I don't believe you are in any immediate danger, but as long as you refuse him, his anger will collect until it explodes. Killing you would be his next objective, if endearing himself to you fails. But he won't have the chance to do that. Naturally, you would be placed in protective custody. You would be able to go about your normal life—as much as is feasible—while our agents shadow you." He took one barefoot and rubbed it against the other, starting on a fresh piece of cake. "He's going to expect your security to increase—your stalker—it would be suspicious if it didn't…" trailing off, he began to chew. "Judging by how easily _this_ 'stalker' of yours reached you, it's obvious it's an inside job. As I said, he'll wait until he has his chance to strike. We could point the finger now, of course, but what would that solve? No. We have to catch him in the act to assuage all doubt…that's the only way to do it." He pulled his cake off his fork and kept it in his mouth awhile, tilting his head to the right.

Diana blinked, holding her breath.

"This arrangement will last only as long as your real stalker is at large. Is that something you would be opposed to, Miss Belle?" L asked, pulling the fork away only to stick it back into his cake.

"You're…" she shook her head, eyes trying to search his face for a sign of trickery, anything at all. "You're L. You're_ him_."

His eyes lifted, his lips just barely giving her a hint of a smile. "I thought we established that."

She nodded eagerly, "We…" she couldn't get the words together, "we did, definitely, but…How? How do you _do_ that?"

He peered at her now, in question, she assumed. And she shuffled closer, her eyes sweeping over him. "You're amazing. Do you_ know_ that?"

L considered this, eating his cake, eyes slightly wider, "I can't see what you find so impressive, it was a rather simplistic deduction—certainly nothing complicated. I haven't even revealed how we plan to execute all of this."

Her head lulled to the side, she rested it on the couch, pulling her legs in towards her chest. "So… you're saying you _do_ know how impressive you are?"

He wavered before her eyes, or maybe she was the wavering? She felt a yawn coming on.

L's words came back to her as if spoken from one end of a tunnel. "When you put it that way…I guess you'd be right."

She managed to laugh as she fought the sleepiness in her eyes. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that he'd come super close to her, or…or…

"Watari? Please escort Miss Belle to her room. It's obvious she's much too tired to stay awake any longer. We'll have to pick this back up in the morning." L said, "It's surprising she's managed it this long especially since she hasn't slept since the incident."

_How did he know that? I didn't tell anyone…did I?_

She forced a hard blink, and began stretching, "I'm fine. I just need…a second. I can have someone drive me home…"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Belle. When I asked you if you'd object to being in protective custody, I asked you that so that we could begin immediately. Your manager, Mr. Tracey, has already been escorted off the premises…and we have your room set up for you with all of your essentials."

"Um-hmm.."

"Miss Belle…"

His voice drifted away from her, and finally, she was able to sleep.

When Diana awoke, she was in a hotel room. She'd slept in enough of them to know right away. Vaguely, she could remember what had just transpired mere hours ago, but she knew enough to know what was happening here.

She was in protective custody and the great detective L was in charge of the investigation. That was it. It was a fact. Why exactly it was a fact? She didn't have all her faculties together to question it last night. But, as soon as she was able, she'd have to ask why. The way he had explained it, the case was rather simple—cut and dry. Or maybe it was only simple to him, a genius of godlike proportions?

She laughed, either way, she felt she needed to ask. Surely, he's got better things to do than to look after a popstar…

Diana frowned, _Would that make me seem ungrateful? I am grateful, of course, I am, but…it's a fair question, right?_ Anyone would want to know in her situation. Exactly what are the odds though? How many celebrities can claim the same? Celebrities have been stalked and threatened way before Diana. In fact, she had a few friends in the business dealing with the same at this very moment. Gigi Devereaux was a prime example So why her?

Did it matter? She was safe. He'd solve the problem. Things would return to normal. That's all. Maybe she would hold off…just for now, she wouldn't want to offend him, besides, he did say he was a fan, didn't he?

Didn't she perform at the White House because the President's daughters were fans of hers? It was the same thing.

She lifted her hand up raising it high as light from the windows filtered into the room. She wasn't shaking anymore. _I shouldn't ruin it by panicking—by being paranoid. _But not being careful is what got her into this mess to begin with…what now?

Turning over on her right, she reached over to turn on the lamp. As she reached over, she was able to notice a small blinking light on the sidetable. Once she flicked on the lamplight, it illuminated a small silver laptop with a blank screen and a little blue light near the camera blinking every half second or so.

_That's not mine,_ she thought. Besides, she'd never leave her laptop open like that. She made a habit of always shutting it off after every use. Shuffling onto her knees, Diana grabbed the laptop from the table and sat it down in front of her.

With a shrug she tapped the space bar, and almost threw it to the floor when the screen illuminated with a giant, black 'L' on a stark back ground. _"Miss Belle?" a monotone voice spoke up from the laptop. "Can I help you?"_

"You just scared the _life_ out of me," she gasped, her hand automatically going to her chest. Diana squinted at the little light, putting her eye up to the camera, "Can you _see_ me?"

"_Yes, Miss Belle. I can see you." _He replied easily, well, she assumed it was him, but there was something odd about his voice._ "Please refrain from putting your eye up to the camera…it obscures my view."_

Diana pulled the laptop away, blinking at the sharp brightness of the screen, "Sorry, but…I can't see you at all."

"_That was the intention." _L said in this overtly obvious tone that irked Diana a little. _Did he sound like such an asshole yesterday? Or did I just ignore it? "Judging by your attire…it's safe to say that you've just woken up. Would I be wrong to assume you have questions you'd like to ask regarding this investigation?"_

_Asshole or not, at least we were going somewhere. _ "Not at all. I'd like to know how you plan on handling all this and what you want me to do."

A moment and then, _"In that case, you should eat breakfast before we begin. You're obviously still disoriented from your ordeal and lack of sleep. Watari will bring your food by shortly. You can simply hit the space bar again once you're ready to speak to me and we'll go through the specifics."_

_You mean I have to talk to this thing?_ She barely liked to talk on the phone, and he wanted her to talk to a laptop? She snorted, _yeah, no. _"Can't I just come over there? I'd rather we just talk in person—I don't know if I can stand this for much longer."

She couldn't be sure, but she swore she could him make an exasperated sound, _"That would be unnecessary as well as a waste of time. It would go much faster if we were to communicate strictly through this channel."_

"I understand that, really, I do, but you can't expect me to sit and speak to a lap top all day when I know you're just…" she gestured out toward her doorway, "_feet _away."

"_Actually," _Came his absolute reply. _"That's exactly what I expect. You did agree to all of my terms, did you not, Miss Belle?"_

"Yes, but you didn't mention talking through a laptop!"

"_I didn't think it would be a problem. Most people don't usually offer such adamant resistance to the idea."_ He drawled on, _"I'd even say most prefer it…I know I do."_

"If you had started out with this…yeah, I would get it. You didn't, you met with me in person first…like I'd asked. Why even do that if you're going to cut me off and drop this_ thing _in front of me?"

He didn't reply right away to that, he gave her radio silence. She couldn't even hear anything in the background. It took a moment for him to come back to her. _"The idea of that 'thing' was to make things much more convenient for you, Miss Belle. Having to set a side time in your schedule just for a five minute update would seem to me…the most inconvenient."_

_Now who sounds like an ass?_ "Look, I'm sorry to sound like a child, here—and it sounds completely irrational considering I spend most of my time on electronics because of my schedule—but that's why I'd rather just speak in person. If I can, I avoid them when possible. Can I please just _see _you?"

That didn't sound like a horrible request to her. It sounded pretty easy. Talk for a few minutes and bye! She'd be gone. He can go back to detecting and eating.

"_During the time that we've discussed this, Miss Belle, we could've covered everything twice already."_

"I don't doubt it."

A pause, and she almost thinks she hears a chuckle on the other end. But, it also could have been a weird cough to be fair. _"A compromise then?"_

_As long as I'm talking to a face and not a computer…let's hear it._

"_How would you like to join me for breakfast? We could discuss our next moves then—"_

"Deal!" Diana exclaimed, having won the battle she grinned down at the laptop. "I knew you weren't completely heartless."

"_Well, I suppose that's good to know." _He answered quietly, and then _Click! _The detective's L was gone. Oh, well. She closed the laptop and set it aside, sliding out of her bed to grab some clothes before showering—

Clothes? She opened the large wardrobe again. A great deal of her clothing items were here, racks upon racks of clothes. Shoes lined the bottom of the wardrobe. When she went to the dresser, the second drawer had a collection of panties and the first a wide variety of bras—all of them seemed to come from her closet. _O…kay. Just put it on the list._

Once they had started their discussion, she planned to get the specifics on what exactly she had agreed to.

The detective was as she remembered. When Watari guided her further into the suite, she was not surprised to find the Detective perched in the same position she had met him. L tucked himself into an armchair near the coffee table laden with food. Directly in front of the detective lay an assortment of sweets, off to the side, in front of the couch her meal consisted of a spinach egg white omelet with a side of bacon and strawberries. A glass of orange juice sat next to a small glass of water near her plate. At the center of the table, a tea set piped a snake of heat into the air.

L had grabbed himself a porcelain cup, drawing the large sugar bowl toward himself before picking up a cube of sugar between his thumb and forefinger while keeping the other fingers strung out. Like he was conducting a science experiment, he dropped the cube into the black tea with the utmost patience she had ever seen. His eyes actually followed the cube straight into the tea. After seeming satisfied with the result, he repeated the process until he had dropped five cubes into his 8-ounce cup.

She could feel the bile slushing around in her throat. Her father was from South Carolina, so she was no stranger to syrupy sweet tea, but dear lord! Just watching him made her stomach lurch. If she drank that, she'd have to gargle salt water for an hour.

"Miss Belle."

Watari's voice was enough to make her realize she had stopped dead in the doorway. She started, and finally decided to move forward, taking her seat adjacent to the detective.

L held the tea to his lips and drank deeply, his eyes finally flickering over to her. His feet were fighting amongst themselves, one trying to dominate the other and he carried on like he didn't even notice.

"Good Morning." L said, and her eyes flew up from his feet to meet his gaze.

"Good Morning…um…how are you?"

"I am well." He took another sip, "Thank you for asking. I trust you were able to get a good night's sleep?"

Diana breathed in deeply, "Surprisingly. I barely remember anything from yesterday…" _except for your odd mannerisms…and clothes, are you wearing the exact same clothes? _It's not like it mattered, he probably didn't have the time to change. He did have those huge rings around his eyes, maybe he never slept?

"I suspected as much from our discussion earlier." L wasted no time, he was able to throw shade, eat and speak with complete ease. That's another thing she remembered, he liked to speak with his mouth full. "I can't say I'm completely surprised…after all, your situation has undoubtedly put quite a strain on your psyche."

Speaking of strains, her stomach was starting to protest. She said a quick prayer and began eating as well, using a fork and knife as opposed to her hands. Several times, she had to tear her very eyes away from the detective. The way he was eating…he couldn't do this all of the time could he? There was no way. It definitely took way more effort than eating normally.

"L?" Diana stared down into her cup of sugarless tea, "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"In addition to the one you just asked? I wouldn't be opposed to it, considering that's the whole reason you're here to begin with," L responded "Please, do go on, Miss Belle."

"Well, it's more of a personal question than one about the case…I was just wondering about you."

She took this time to look up at him, watching as he squeezed a jelly donut between two fingers.

Diana took that as a bad sign. "Is that inappropriate?"

He was silent a moment, his eyes nailed to the donut. "Is that the question?"

"No." Of course it wasn't. What kind of question was that? "Of course not."

"Well, you should probably ask the question first and allow me to decide whether it is appropriate." With that, he was able to squeeze the powdered donut together and—quite literally—bite it in half. How he managed that? Beyond reason.

Or maybe not, her father could finish a 12-ounce Coke in two gulps. She supposed a donut was more or less the same—in regards to sugar at least.

Feeling a strange sense of power, she crossed her legs and leaned toward him, "Can I have a set of questions?"

"Is this set of questions about the on-going investigation?"

Diana barely suppressed a laugh, "Definitely not."

"Then no."

"Oh, don't be that way. It'll be fun—like 21 questions."

"Not that I've ever played 21 questions…" he scooped the whipped cream off of a golden waffle and stuck his whole finger in his mouth. "But, by the sound of it, I doubt I'd find it very appealing."

"No? Then let's play Never Have I Ever." She said slapping her hand against the seat of the couch. "I hate the game, but it's fun…sort of. It tricks people into revealing a lot of things they normally wouldn't."

"If everyone knows the object of the game would it still be called a trick?"

"Yes, because after you play you always end up wishing you had lied…at least on half the questions."

"Then why not just lie? Why go through all the trouble?"

"Because…" She bit her lip, he had her there, "I'm not sure. I just don't. Maybe next time, I'll give it a try. So, will you play?"

He stared over at her with that oddly piercing and altogether dull gaze of his. He thought it over as if she was asking him to decide the fate of the world not play a dumb game. "Later…perhaps. Right now, we have to focus on the issue at hand. Have you forgotten your own circumstances, Miss Belle?"

With that she folded her arms, "No. Especially since you've reminded me several times today."

"Do I have to _remind you _to take this seriously?"

"No. But I'm not going to sit here and wallow in something I can't control. I'm not in the mood for that, it takes way too much effort and I don't have the time or the energy—"

"Somehow you manage to have both the time and the energy to try to coerce me into playing a game with you."

_Damn straight,_ "Exactly, I like to enjoy my spare time, besides, I trust you. You said you'd take care of it, Detective, so take care of it. Playing a game with little old me, won't distract you too much if you are as good as they say."

"In case you don't know, I should probably inform you that goading someone who's trying to help you into a fight isn't exactly a smart move." L narrowed his gaze at that, his voice losing its lightness. "Moreover, how could you honestly say you trust me…you don't even know me."

"And you don't know me, despite that, you've taken on one of the most common cases plaguing celebrities today. This isn't a problem that will stop the rest from happening, once it's solved. After me, there'll be another and another and another. It won't end. So, I don't really know why you've taken this case on, the only reason—besides what you've said—is that you're getting something out of this. When people choose to do something, they put effort into it, so when you say you'll protect me, I expect you to do it. In the meantime, I'll live my life and distract myself as skillfully as I can. It wouldn't kill you to do the same. We could actually end up friends, I'm friends with most of my security—"

"I'd say that that would be smart on your part if your life had not been threatened days before the incident and a stalker hadn't still managed to get by them." L said absently, but it obviously wasn't absently, he was paying attention. She could tell by the way his expression had only darkened during their exchange. "Now, it seems like a wasted effort."

Diana's nostrils flared. _Now who was trying to start a fight?_

Honestly, it was like he completely ignored the rest of her argument, found the one hole and started picking it apart without an invitation. She was right and she didn't imagine it. He _was_ an asshole. The worse kind too, he had a superiority complex. If he wasn't right, no one was.

Diana wanted to just throw her gauntlet down right then and there, say fuck it, and storm out of the room. She was famous after all; it's what he probably expected her to do. Throw a tantrum when things weren't going her way, but no. She needed to stay cool, stay calm. Everything he was saying to her didn't matter, as soon as this was all over, she probably wouldn't even remember this exchange let alone still harbor a grudge over it. Practice what you preach. If she was going to sit through this, he'd allow her to do it on her terms. "I get that you're professional, but you don't really have to be so callous. It's unnecessary and rude." Diana shuffled over to the last cushion, putting the two of them closer. Her knee was only a handful of inches away from his twisting feet. "Besides, wouldn't knowing more about me actually help you do your job?"

"In a sense? Yes. But I doubt playing a series of question-based games would reveal anything I don't already know about you." Came his quiet reply, and she noticed for the first time he hadn't gone for his next piece of cake. One hand sat atop his knee and the other pushed his thumb against his lip. "As you put it yesterday, I did my homework. Anything more would just be superfluous—a distraction from the case."

_My case._ Diana thought.

She sighed inwardly, her eyes flying over to that thumb of his. It took everything in her power not to reach over and remove that hand from his mouth.

How old was this guy? He didn't look much older than her, but those deep circles around his dilated eyes said otherwise. To be fair, when she really looked at him, took in the wildness of his dark hair, the almost skeletal slimness of his hands and the way he curved over his knees…he looked like a child, perhaps an overgrown teenager. Maybe puberty had hit him so hard it had sucked all the fat and life right out of him. There was no other way to describe him. The baggy jeans and wrinkled white t-shirt did nothing but add to this image—this look of slothful innocence.

Maybe she was being too hard on him. It was obvious what he was…a sheltered genius in the strictest sense. He had—rather boldly—admitted to having no friends to brag about. Of course, he wouldn't know how much of an asshole he was being. He had no one to tell him. He had no one to say hey, "No. No. That's rude. Apologize. Why? Because that's something an asshole would say—yes, I had to swear…No, I'm not in the wrong. Just apologize already!" Sure, he seemed to have Watari around quite a bit, but what did that mean? If L was the man's boss, he wouldn't object to anything L said. If they were closer, family, that still didn't mean Watari would call L out. Her own parents seldom called her out, even when she was wrong, even when she wanted them too. Parents had a way of enabling you like that. One time she approached them about seeing a psychiatrist and they had immediately rebuffed the idea.

"Nothing's wrong with you." They said. "You're not crazy—crazy people need psychiatrists."

So she refrained. It would break them if they found out, and they _would_ find out because the world would find out. Her father, old-fashioned as he was would probably go into hiding. Her mother would fly to her house and drag Diana back home, back to them where their love could fix her instead—or create a monster.

Diana stood to her feet, L's eyes shot over to her in an instant. She stepped over to him and squatted down near the arm of his chair. He looked down at her, his lips slightly parted by his thumb. "If you do this for me, I promise I won't complain about anything else. I'll be the perfect—what's the word I'm looking for?—never mind. If you do this, I'll follow your rules to the 't'. It would definitely help me deal and process a lot of this, I think. You're probably right, I'm ignoring what's happening because I haven't processed it yet. I don't think I even want to. I guess I want to make this into something normal—for my sake. We could even try to be friends, if you don't hate the idea." She took this moment to reach out to him, place her hand against his hand situated on his knee._ Wow, his hand is so cold._ "Is that so…unreasonable?"

Diana knew a few things just then: 1) L was not used to physical contact like at all. 2) He may be an asshole, but perhaps he just needed guidance—a friend. 3) When dealing with the detective: lead with sweetness and end with sweetness and get pass all the venom in the middle as fast as you can.

"No." L responded, his eyes darting down to her hand over his. "I don't find that wholly unreasonable."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, just a heads up: I may change the summary. I never end up liking the summery after I post the second chapter. I always change it. Constructive criticism appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3: Unsettled

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

**Back To You**

Chapter 3: Unsettled

* * *

_"Your problem is that you ignore the warning signs," Diana told Naomi. "If I a guy is arrested for cocaine and shooting a gun at his mother, he'll probably do the same to you."_

_"But…he didn't hit her, though." Naomi sniffled, "And he told me this himself. Isn't that sweet? Plus, she sort of wouldn't give him the money."_

_"Naomi, sweetie, that was a warning sign. That was a big red flag. If a guy offers you all of his crazy without any prompting…run."_

* * *

Kill 'em with kindness, wasn't a world view Diana had had much experience with. Her mother proposed that it was an ideal most notably found in the meek, rather than the strong. Besides, Diana had other ideas about the subject. She couldn't possibly kill anyone with kindness. No, she was much too self-aware for that. She could be benevolent when the mood struck. She could be _nice._ Kindness though? Eh. Kindness required a brand of selflessness she just didn't own.

But, for some reason, when it came to her birdman, she was trying very hard to give the method a try.

Diana closed her eyes, took a deep breath and asked again, "L? Why can't I have my phones? Or my purse? Or my wallet? Or my laptop? Or anything that I remotely own?"

Lord of the Birds took a spoonful of flan, held it up to the sky and tipped it back onto his tongue, "Mmm…I've had Watari confiscate them."

She pursed her lips into a tight smile. "I know…but why?"

"He's having them checked for bugs." L answered scrapping the caramel off the top of his next cup of flan and licking it from his spoon. "Does that answer your question? You'll get them back as soon as he's done. In the meantime, we'll require your patience, Miss Belle."

He probably didn't realize the extreme effort she was putting into being patient at this very moment. He literally could have just said that instead of letting her ravage her room to look for her belongings for half an hour.

Diana pulled one leg beneath her as she sat, now back into her seat. Perhaps kind wasn't the best word, what about attentive? "L? You said before that Logan wasn't the prime suspect, is he now?"

"Yes." L said, "Before last night, I had been monitoring the situation from afar. I only had a feeling that Logan was behind everything, he's very theatrical, your manager, but still he didn't fit the typical profile. Feelings and hunches rarely close cases. Moreover, it's extremely unusual for African-American males to fixate on a celebrity in this way and taunt them with messages whenever the mood struck. But…just because something is unusual it doesn't automatically make it implausible. No. So I took a further look into how you were receiving these notes. Your team let these things slip through the cracks, or rather, someone on your team. And of course, there's the obvious, he bugged your clothes. He's the culprit, it couldn't be more obvious."

Diana, despite everything she's been through with Logan, accepted the detective's proclamation easily. Logan had always had a strange fixation with her. He became jealous and heated whenever he was around a boyfriend of hers or a male friend in general. At first, she wrote it off as him acting as a big brother, but, it was plain to all of her friends. Logan was unstable. She had no reason to disagree. Even if she did, what on earth would that solve?

Besides, L had a particular way of explaining things that made them seem irrevocably true. Like he knew the blueprint for a large, sprawling maze and carried it with him everywhere he went. Like he could peer into the minds of his opposition and pull these facts from their heads in fine print. Like he knew facts because he had made them so himself.

It was an unexpected kind of charisma. Not the loud or gentle crashing of energy, but something calmer—something indescribable.

She'd seen a lot of people play the part of genius, but he was the part, eccentricities and all. She supposed that's what made every move and motion he made seem so dynamic to her, so noticeable. Completely on accident, yet purposefully done.

"So…"Diana honestly just wanted to hear him to talk, his monotone was both alien and pleasing to her ear. "what do we do now?"

L put down his spoon and cup. He turned his head toward the ceiling, thinking. She had to admit, he looked cool when he was thinking like this, almost childlike with his large eyes oogling the above. "Now, we'll wait. Tracey isn't stupid. He'll wait until he thinks he has the highest chance of success before he strikes. I've already taken the liberty to issue out a statement concerning your welfare—as a member of your team. This was made public a day ago. He's seen it of course."

"How do you know that?"

L looked over at her, "I'm having him followed and we've bugged his phones…his hotel room and his car rental."

His shiny veneer shattered, destroying her perfect illusion, facing her with a hint of reality. Despite his almost childlike appearance, he was no innocent. "That seems…extreme."

He probably wasn't all there either. Was any genius?

"I disagree." He said smoothly, "What's truly extreme is having your client attacked in her penthouse and then arriving much too late to be her savior…." Slurp. The man had magicked a cup of tea into his hand without her noticing.

Diana bit down on her tongue. Honestly, it was like the guy thought they were having contest or something. Regardless, she soldiered on, "What do you want me to do in the meantime? Business as usual?"

"Exactly. You will act as if nothing is different between the two of you, of course, feel free to act traumatized as anyone would be…"

_Except maybe you, _she thought. How could someone destroy their own magic so quickly? A perfect example of when charisma goes too far. "So I'll be acting in real life too, huh?"

"Essentially, yes. That is the idea." He said all matter of factually, "we've taken the liberty of purchasing you a phone that will connect you to me directly. For any other calls, feel free to use your other devices while avoiding all talk of the ongoing investigation. If anyone should ask about it, feel free to mention myself only to those you've already told about me, while maintaining that you've never personally seen me. I have no doubt that Mr. Tracey will ask you about me as soon as he can…"

_I bet he's blowing my phone up right now_, she thought, letting her current situation pull her away from the detective. She appreciated the distraction.

"… Your security team will be supplemented by handpicked agents of my own. Klein, your head of security, has already been informed of the changes. Of all of your security, he appears to be the most trustworthy, but I had to run an in-depth background check to be certain. I've even spoken to him—"

"In person?" Diana couldn't hide the shock that leapt into her voice.

"No. Through a secure connection." L explained, "As I'm sure you know, the fewer people who know my real face, the easier it is to do my job."

Diana smiled, "I must be special then."

L made no comment or correction, instead choosing to thunder along, making Diana's grin intensify tenfold. Any hint at any further human connection always made him like this, suddenly unable to retort with his usual quickness. What's weirder is that she assumed he 'always' did anything, especially since they had just met. "You will accompany Watari and I on our flight to California. Cameras and listening devices have been installed in all of your homes…and vehicles."

Diana blinked, a wave of overwhelming licked at her ankles, attempting to drag her under. "…okay."

"Still, we will be staying in hotels for the time being until the true 'mastermind' is apprehended. Your name will not be used. As far as the public knows, you will still be returning to your home. Once we are in California, I must insist on a curfew, one that your security team will execute if you prove unwilling."

Diana didn't quite know how to respond to that, so she settled for trying to steady her breathing. Despite the plucky attitude she was trying to maintain, it was almost as if he was trying to shut out all rays of light he could find, and force her into darkness.

Just keep breathing.

"Okay," She managed to say, "thank you."

He glanced up at her then, his abyss like eyes cutting into her, "You're welcome."

Diana nodded, and allowed Watari to run through all of the new safety measures as well as escape plans. As he went on, she tried to listen, and she did for the most part, but it was a lot. A lot, a lot. Too much for her to process in one sitting.

Once he finished, Diana couldn't get out of there quick enough, anxiously waiting for Watari to bring back her electronics before she could escape from them.

Something about this, something about all of this…was deeply unsettling and it took just listening to him talk to show her that.

Watari positioned the items in her arms, before guiding her from the room. As she turned to leave, L spoke quietly, "Miss Belle?"

Diana turned back, more than a little surprised he wasn't trying to shove her out the door, more than a little surprised she wasn't trying to run. "Please…try to get some rest. I realize this may be overwhelming for you, but it's what we need to do to ensure your safety." His fingers dug into his knee as he continued, "I doubt the world would forgive me, if something were to happen to you."

Who was this guy? Why did the building dread slide away, taking an excuse it could? Did she overreact? It was like her. Maybe she was finally feeling the effects of the attack? Yeah, that's it.

With that, she found herself smiling again. She waved at him using her fingers, watching his lips part absently as he watched her walk on and allowed Watari to lead her away.

That afternoon, she was given the go-ahead to contact the outside world with the exception that she not mention anything at all about the case, which was a no-duh for her but she obliged without arguing.

Diana called her parents who answered on the first ring. She expected nothing less, all things considered.

"Diana!" her mom sounded like she hadn't thought her daughter had survived, which was odd considering how much news the woman consumed. "What took you so long to contact us? We were worried _sick_."

"Didn't you see the news, Mom? Nothing happened. I'm fine. I don't even have a scratch." Diana played with the frilly ends of her pillow. She didn't even have that bump on her head anymore. "That's more than I can say for the intruder. He died."

She heard her father in the background asking for the phone. Oh, no.

"Ana-Dear?" her father's voice was smoother than her mothers, but the concern was hard to miss. "What's going on? Have you increased your security yet? Have you fired them at least? Something like this shouldn't have happened."

"I know, Dad. I haven't fired anyone, but we're working on making things safer for me."

"I hope so, Ana. I don't know what I'd do if something were to…"it was at this point that her father ran quiet, breathing uneven. "I couldn't take it."

"I know, Dad."

"Is that all you can say?" he asked, "'I know'?"

"Right now? Yes." She laughed.

"I want you home_, right now_."

"You know I can't do that. I begin filming in a week and I won't postpone it for this, especially since nothing happened. Besides, I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but I know I can trust you guys…L is cooperating with the police on this. He's in charge of the investigation."

In truth, L wanted her to say that over the phone, just to see what Logan would do. L had Watari install some dual listening device to her electronics, to not only trace where the devices were headed, but also to feed Logan false information.

"L? Who's that?" her dad asked, just as her mom grabbed the phone away, "He's that famous detective, isn't he? Wow. What made him want to do this?"

Good question. "He said he was a fan."

"You've spoken to him." by her change in tone, Diana could tell her mom wasn't buying this.

Lie. "Not in person, but through a laptop. I'm not allowed to see his face."

"How do you know it's him then?"

"Trust me, I know. So don't worry about me, okay? I'm in safe hands."

"Right. I hope so."

They said their goodbyes soon after and Diana collapsed on the couch, choosing to text her friends instead of calling them. She didn't want to sit through another rehash of what happened. She'd rather push it to the back of her mind and focus on getting ready for work.

Not only was she in album mode, she also needed to contribute a couple of songs to the movie's soundtrack as well as perfect her lines. She had them all memorized. Now she just needed to perform.

Her stomach began to tremble with nerves. She'd made appearances in movies before, brief cameos where she either played herself or some small role. Now, she was the female lead opposite Jason Morgan, this year's Sexiest Man Alive. He was a nice guy. She knew it would be fun to film with him. Only, she'd probably have to ask that no one ask her about what happened. She did not want to talk about it for the rest of her life if she could avoid it. Talking about it with L was draining enough without twenty more prying minds.

Two knocks sounded against the door, jolting Diana into a sitting position. She was about to shout hello when she heard the click of a key, and the door knob turning. If she had to guess, it was Watari coming in to check on her again.

Diana stretched her arms before leaning against the couch to watch in surprise as the detective shut the doors behind himself, scratched his head before approaching the couch with one hand in his pocket. He was barefoot as ever, his jeans scraping against the soft floor as he slinked toward her.

The man even stood hunched, that was going to be a problem when he got older. But, it's not like she was in a position to tell him that.

"L?" Diana never failed to find his appearance both comical and surprising. She felt her lips curve into a smile. "I thought for sure you were Watari."

"Did you need him for something?" he asked, looking back toward the door.

Diana threw a hand out to grab his wrist. As always, his eyes widened at the physical contact, "No! You're fine. Is there something I can help you with, Detective?"

Not moving from her hold, he used one foot to scratch the back of his leg, while keeping balance. He didn't seem like the steady type, when you considered his terrible posture, but bam, there he was. He was birdman for a reason. He was a crane really. He raised one long finger and pointed toward the couch, "Do you mind if I join you?"

It took Diana a moment to process what he'd just asked. So, she stared for a moment before blinking and releasing him immediately, "Of course, sorry about that."

She moved to the middle cushion and patted the cushion next to her. The detective clearly considered the chair to the right before Diana hit the seat next to her again a bit more forcefully, blaring at him with expectant eyes she knew he couldn't refuse. Scratching his head again, he walked around the couch, stepped onto the seat cushion and turned around to put himself into his preferred sitting position.

Why did everything he did seem to take all and no effort at all?

Now that he was here, she noticed how barren her coffee table looked. His table was usually piled high with sweets and fruit. She almost felt guilty, but it wasn't like she had Watari to cart in sweets every half hour. "So…" Diana pulled her legs beneath her and raised her right arm to rest it against the couch at an angle, her knuckles holding up her chin. "What can I do for you?"

L wrapped his hands around his knees, peaking at her from beneath his hair, like a child peering around a corner during a game of hide and seek.

Diana's smile deepened. It was so easy to smile at him, him and his boyish childlike face.

Diana noticed something shift in his expression as well, he didn't quite smile, but he looked pleased at the very least. "Before we discussed the case, I told you that I would consider playing a game with you. Since I finished my work early…I thought I would oblige you, if that's still something you want."

Diana squealed with excitement, clapping her hands together, "Yes! I completely forgot. So what game? 21 Questions or Never Have I Ever?"

He spoke slower than her ninety miles an hour. "I believe it was the latter."

"Okay, I'll go first—wait. Should I explain the rules?" Diana held up five fingers, "Honestly, it doesn't really matter how many fingers you hold up as long as everyone starts with the same amount, but the point is to pull down a finger for everything you've actually done. Like…if I say never have I ever bought milk, if you've bought milk you bring down one finger. The first person to have no fingers up, loses."

L nodded, holding up his hand as Diana did.

Staring at him, she scrutinized his face, all the way down to his knees and back again. She stared into his dilated eyes as he stared intently back, his lips slightly parted. His strangely ominous words floated back to her.

Diana grinned and looked sideways, "I can't think of a thing to ask."

"Didn't you _want_ to play this game?"

"Yes, but…I don't know what to ask. I don't want to go too personal but…I don't know. You go."

L didn't have to think twice, "Never Have I Ever been a woman."

Diana lowered her pinky with a scowl, "Wait a second—"

"Is it your turn now?" L asked with that oddly innocent tone of his.

Diana shook her head, still not meeting his gaze, "I still can't think of anything."

"Never Have I Ever dated a man."

She pulled down her ring finger, now feeling loss a second away "Wait a sec. I Have one now. Never Have I Ever been a detective."

He lowered his pinky finger, glancing at it out of the corner of his eye. "Never Have I Ever been in the entertainment industry."

Diana lost another finger, much to her dismay, she began to panic, "Never Have I Ever…Never Have I Ever…" she had nothing, she would lose miserably unless. Yep. She'd just reverse his questions, a sucker's move but she had nothing else, "Never Have I Ever dated a woman."

She gave him a victorious smile, but his fingers did not move. He just blinked at her. Hell. _ How was I supposed to know?_

"Never Have I Ever been in a commercial."

Pow! Another finger lost, now all she had was her thumb, "Ugh! Wait, I have one, Never Have I Ever solved a crime!"

He pulled down his ring finger slowly, the last digits mocking Diana. "Never Have I Ever written a song."

In defeat, Diana tucked her thumb into her hand, her eyes closing. "I guess you win."

"Hm," L sighed thoughtfully, "I thought you liked this game."

"I _do_ I just had no idea what to ask, I didn't want to be rude or weird." Diana admitted with a shrug, a strange surge of excitement wrestling in her limbs.

"So, in the end, you still know nothing. And I know all that I knew about you already."

Diana laughed, "I guess so."

"You don't seem too disappointed." L commented.

"No," Diana leaned her head against her propped up hand, "It was still fun, besides, my plans seldom work out the way I want them too. I didn't plan to be sitting here with you this fine evening, but, here you are."

His fingers clawed deeper into his jeans as his eyes narrowed. "I don't think those two things are comparable. You didn't choose this."

"I guess you're right, Detective." She'd give him that, "Still, this is nice isn't it?"

L considered her words, then asked, "What do you mean exactly?"

"Us sitting here. Talking like human beings instead of whispering through a laptop. I told you it wouldn't kill you, I'm not poisonous, you know, despite what you've read about me." Diana smirked.

"I don't remember the tabloids saying anything like that."

She pursed her lips, "So you _have_ read them?"

"I believe I said before that I was very thorough, besides, it's not like they've printed anything very unflattering about you. If anything, they've turned you into a Princess."

"_That_ I don't mind, but…now I'm going to be closer to a Princess in a tower than I ever wanted to be." She found herself watching his hands, watching them clench and then relax every second or so in a rhythm which was slowly but surely driving her crazy. Without a moment's notice she struck out like a snake, and covered one of his hands with her own, feeling immediately like she just slapped her hands down on a block of ice. "L, your hands are _cold_. Here."

She took both hands, and laced their fingers together. His hands dwarfed hers, his long, chilly fingers eclipsing her small, brown ones. She could feel him watching her slide their fingers together, and he made no move to stop her ministrations, staring blankly like he was watching her perform a magic trick. When she pulled her thumbs around in a circular motion in the palms of his hands, he didn't once complain. He just…watched.

"Do you have a habit of touching everyone you meet like this?" L asked, almost quietly, as the cold from his hands began to slowly ebb away.

She pulled her hands away, "Sorry, does it bother you? I can stop, but you did let me do it to begin with. If you feel weird about this, it's all on you."

Diana looked up just in time to catch a crazy smile pull against his lips, lifting his eyes in the process. She called it 'crazy' because it wouldn't be what any normal person would count as a smile. It was more subdued, gray in comparison to everyone else's rainbow. Still, she had a feeling it was rare, this smile of his, something to be seen only in the wild, caught on blurry cameras with bad lighting. Perhaps it was something only _she_ could get—

"Miss Belle?"

Jerking herself from her thoughts, she had to fight her embarrassed smile. "Yes?"

"Were you paying attention just now?"

She bit her lip with a sheepish smile, "Yes and no. I was paying attention to you, in a way, but I also didn't hear a word you just said."

He sighed, "Normally, I would be irritated."

She crept toward him, "'Normally'? So, you're not?"

L's lips curled in that way she was beginning to like very much, "Not at all."

"Do you want to play another game with me?" Diana asked.

"I would like that," L responded and then added, "But I have to warn you...I'm quite good at them."

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I really appreciate all follows, favorites, and reviews! I see them and it gives me a kick of inspiration to update. Let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4: Bad Dream

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.**

**Back To You**

Chapter Four: Bad Dream

* * *

"_You remember when I dated that racist?" Naomi asked._

"_Which one?" Kat rolled her eyes._

"_The one who told me I was lucky he was even with me."_

"_Oh, you mean the dumbass who looked like a cross between a reptile and a character from SpongeBob." Torelei said with a growl. "What about him?"_

"_His girlfriend finally left him." Naomi grinned. "And he just texted me."_

* * *

_The hotel swirls around her as she tries run. She tries the first door on her right, yanking, and then pushing as hard as she can. It doesn't give and the panic starts to pulse in her chest, she can feel the heat in her throat. The warm, golden glow of the lamps blur before her eyes as tears begin to break and she screams at whoever won't let her in—_

_The cold sound of bare feet slapping behind her urges Diana to take off again, knowing full well he was going to catch her. Another door appeared before her, this one gold. It was open, but a crack, but it gave her hope._

_She tried to pull it open so she could slip through, but it felt like it weighed a ton. Diana was shoving her entire body against it, using all her strength, but it barely moved as the seconds ticked by. The tears came harder, the panic turning to frenzy as it moved at a snail's pace. Then, all at once, the door gave, bursting open like it had lost a tug of war. She barely caught her breath as two stone white feet stepped before her, worn jeans cuffing the whiteness. She threw herself back to scramble away, but he was too quick. Like pale snakes, his stark hands constricted around her wrists so hard she could feel them begin to snap and she screamed._

Diana lurched forward, clawing at the air around her.

"_Miss Belle_!"

Hands came around her wrists, pinning them beside her head as she flailed from side to side.

"Miss Belle, please." The voice urged again, "You were just having a nightmare. _Miss Belle_."

Diana forced her eyes to focus on the room, the warm light to her left and right, bright and clear. Her breaths came quick, rushed as she looked up into two familiar dilated eyes. His face was almost sickly pale, and the light did nothing to help it. His clear concern was overshadowed by the fact that he hovered above her, pinning her down.

"I…" she gasped, "I…why are you in my…"

"You were screaming." L said simply, "considering all that has happened it should be no doubt as to why I would come in your room."

She allowed her eyes to close, her limbs to relax. When she opened them again, she finally came to grips with reality. "I see. I'm sorry."

Seeming to remember himself, he removed his hands, and moved off to the side, taking up his usual position, one thumb pressed to his lips. "You were dreaming about the break-in."

She sat up slowly, a hand going to shield her eyes. "I don't know what I was dreaming about, just that I was being chased again. Although, I don't know why, I slept so well the night before."

L said nothing at first, if not for his eyes burrowing into the side of her face, she probably wouldn't have known he was there. "You refused to speak to a therapist."

"Because I don't need one." Diana says with a sigh, pulling her knees toward her chest.

"Your panicked state tells me differently."

"I didn't know you had a medical degree, Detective." Diana surprised herself with the sharpness of her tone, "Surely you must have had difficulties getting it between solving so many cases. It's a wonder you manage to stay awake at all. You must be _exhausted_."

L leaned forward, forcing Diana back so fast she flailed. "I realize that you are having difficulties, Miss Belle. I understand that, but the sarcasm is unnecessary and makes you seem _childish_. My earlier statement was made out of concern for your well-being. It was not intended to suggest that there was something _wrong _with you." He drawled on with a focus that shocked Diana into silence. His words had a precise coldness to them she found far more intimidating than mere shouting, "But…clearly there is an issue, if a mere suggestion causes you to respond so defensively. If you continue to find offense with the way I do things or the way I speak, I cannot foresee this working relationship being very comfortable for either of us. My suggestion is that you thoroughly assess yourself before we move forward, otherwise we could go back to communicating strictly through other means."

When he finished, he hung there, is eyes staring right into hers. It was like matching gazes with a phantom.

Diana looked away, feeling a little guilty now, but also…. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that." She turned her gaze to his, returning his intensity, "_But_, I will not be talked to like that again. You made your point with the _first_ two sentences. My words were uncalled for, but _yours_ were excessive."

L blinked, his finger pressing into his lip a moment before he removed it, dipping his head as he considered her words. "I suppose you're right." He said lowly.

After watching him, she couldn't help, but laugh. He looked like a scolded child.

"Is something funny?" He asked, in that weirdly deep voice of his.

Smiling, she reached toward him, making his eyes pop open in surprise as she let her finger slip through his bangs and brush them. "Are we going to do this every time we talk? I need to know so I can mentally prepare." _Not to mention…there's something strangely alluring about you. Something I can't put my finger on._

He gave her that childish smile of his, hesitant to form. "I see. Our arguing has become something of a pattern. I never intend to argue with you. I just find you…"

"Infuriating?" Diana supplies, touching his soft hair again. From the look of it, you'd think it would be stiff and coarse, but it wasn't. It was smooth to the touch.

He tilted his head accidentally moving closer to Diana's hand, considering again, and swallowed. "I'd say you were more vexing that infuriating. I'm never angry when I'm with you."

"Oh?" Diana teased, "You sure _sounded_ angry, Detective."

"I assure you that was not case." He said dryly, blinking as she finally pulled her hand away.

Diana didn't believe him, but didn't press him further, forgetting all about that silly dream. "Did I wake you?"

"No. I wasn't asleep." L watched her when he spoke, like he was trying to unravel her.

"Are you busy?"

"If you're asking me, if I am working, then, yes, I am." L answered, "Why do you ask?"

_If you knew what I meant, why did you have to…whatever._

"I don't really want to sleep, and I don't want to be alone either." Diana said quietly, "Do you think it would a problem if you stayed with me?"

"Yes, actually. It would be entirely inappropriate." L said quickly, but she could tell he was considering it. He wanted to talk to her…otherwise, he would have left already. "Besides, we haven't known each other for very long."

"I disagree. You and I are friends. We played several games yesterday, that proved it." Diana said emphatically, watching his eyes wrinkle at her excuse, obviously finding it flimsy. "And, furthermore, what does it actually take to get to know anyone, really? Time, right? And talking?"

L lulled his head to the side, but Diana could see a hint of something there, hidden in his eyes. He looked happy. "Friends, you say? All because we've spent a few hours together playing children's games…and talking."

"_Right,_ Detective." She leaned forward, and placed her hand on top of one of his. "That's all it takes."

L wasn't quite giving in, not yet, "Even if I give you that, my staying here is still inappropriate."

Diana shrugged, she was so close to getting what she wanted she could taste it. "I won't tell, if you won't. Besides, that's what makes this exciting." She lifted a finger and pressed it to her lips, dropping her voice low, "_It's secret_."

He was so still, she couldn't even hear him breathe.

She decided to be helpful, "So, tell me, new friend, how old are you?"

"Why do you ask?"

Diana pulled away and threw her hands up, "Why don't you answer?"

L finally decided to smirk playfully. "I wanted to see your reaction."

She rolled her eyes, "Satisfied?"

"Yes." L answered and then responded lowly, "I'm two years older than you."

Diana poked her lips out, "You couldn't just give me a number, L?"

"I didn't realize you'd have such difficulties adding two—"

Diana threw her head back with laugh.

()()()

"…and cut! That's a wrap guys, we have what we need. Great job, Diana, really."

Diana allowed herself to smile back at the woman wearing flipflops, a suitcoat, and infinity scarf, her fearless photographer. "What do you mean? If anyone has a job cut out for them it's you."

Pushing her glasses back up her blonde bob, the woman gave her a dismissive roll of her eyes, "Please. I just point and shoot with you. The magic is all you, Diana."

Diana rather liked Nat. When she spoke, she spoke what she felt, always. Today, she just happened to be particularly kind—Diana didn't have to guess why. "Well, you're still brilliant, Nat."

"Of course I am," she laughed, "But you make it easy to be brilliant."

Diana laughed too, watching as Klein, the head of Diana's security, drew back the sleeve of black suit and tapped his silver watch.

_L._

Diana gave him a curt nod, saying goodbye to Nat, before allowing Klein to lead her back to her dressing room. When they reached the door, Harrison and York, posted on either side of her door, gave her a nod, "Miss Belle."

Klein entered first, even though they all knew York and Harrison hadn't moved an inch, swept the room and then escorted her inside. "Miss Belle."

He turned to go but she called out to him as she sat down in front of her vanity, "Klein?"

Klein paused, his eyes softening only a touch from his serious grimace. "Yes, Miss Belle?"

"Thank you."

Reluctantly, he gave her a smile back, "I'm just doing my job."

"Still…thanks." Diana wished he didn't wear such a sour look, "You know I don't blame you…right?"

His jaw clenched, his eyes avoiding hers now. "I know." He managed to squeeze past his teeth.

"Well, act like it. I can't have that scary face you're making frighten everyone, can I?" Diana said with a flip of her hand, "You'll ruin my whole image!"

Klein finally smiled for real this time, "I think you do enough of that yourself."

She threw her head back with a laugh and waved him away like she was offended. He chuckled, shutting the door softly behind himself.

With that solved, now she needed to turn her attention to the next problem.

L.

She retrieved the phone from her purse and squeezed her eyes shut to take a deep breath. Three missed calls.

_Great, here he goes._

With a guilty smile, she pressed the number one and waited for the call to go through. It was almost funny, she could imagine his reaction already. That deadpan stare with a touch of mild irritation.

She bit her lip. He was going to chew her out.

"_Miss Belle."_

_That tone_, she had to hold her breath to keep from laughing. "Hey, you—"

"For some reason, it has come to my attention that the meaning of 'check-in' is lost on you." L said, wasting no time was a specialty of his, "Will Watari have to explain the procedures to you again, or will I have to do it personally this time?"

L had taken it upon himself to have her call him on a schedule, but he didn't seem to take into account that in show business that even one small misstep can throw an entire day off schedule. After arriving in California and sending her away to work, he's been learning, but he's still rather adamant. Not that she minded, it was a little adorable.

Diana gave a slightly nervous giggle, "It's good to hear from you too."

In his usual L fashion, he was having none of it. "As the detective in charge of your case, I expect a level of maturity and professionalism when the time calls for it." he paused, his voice lowering, "You assured me, Miss Belle, that a friendship between you and I would not give you an excuse to be reckless and thoughtless."

_Okay, okay. I'll leave you alone. _He wanted her to focus.

"Look, the shoot started later than I thought it would. A poor intern forgot to pick up the new accessories for the shoot. Not only did he have to go get them, but, Nat had to chew him out for a few minutes, drag me into it, and I had to separate them. It was whole show you missed, Detective."

"Now is not the time to be facetious."

"I'm not, I swear." Diana laughed.

"Then you're either lying or withholding information."

"What reason would I have to lie?"

"So I wouldn't reprimand you is the most probable reason I can think of." L told her, "So it's the most likely."

"Well, I'm not lying. Besides, I think it's cute that you care so much about me you feel the need to have me check in every hour." Diana teased, glancing up to grab a look at her reflection. Her smile was…

His dry voice held a hint of exasperation, "Miss Belle, I assure you these check ins are more for your benefit than for my own."

"But they are at least a little for your benefit, right?" Diana teased. Oh, how she'd love to see his face!

L was definitely sighing on the other end of the line. "It's very clear that you are not in any mortal danger. Thank you for answering your phone. I'll leave you to it—"

"Wait!" Diana almost lurched forward like he was standing in front of her about to walk away. She grinned. "What are you doing right now?"

"Talking to you."

She rolled her eyes. "I thought we talked about this?" She was, of course, referring to his tendency to be a sarcastic jerk. She didn't really mind it, but correcting him was simply too much fun.

Another sigh of contempt, "At the moment, we are monitoring the suspect closely. I'll be sure to reach out to you, when he decides to make contact. Until then, please try to enjoy your day."

"Thank you for telling me." Diana said, and then paused. "I would say enjoy_ your_ day, but I know it'll be impossible without me around."

Silence. Sigh, "Miss Belle…"

Diana laughed, "Oh, I'm only teasing. Stop making that expression."

"I'm not making any particular expression."

"Yes, you are."

"Miss Belle, you can't possibly see me. There's no way for you to know what my face looks like at the moment."

"Please, I can tell by the sound of your voice."

She could tell L seemed to consider this, "I suppose that's fair."

"It is."

"Well, I'll let you get back to work—"

"Are you trying to get off the phone?"

"Yes. I have work to do." L said plainly.

"That work isn't going anywhere. You can spare a few minutes."

"I have been doing that for the past _five_ minutes, Miss Belle. Any more would be a complete waste of both of our time."

"Fine. Escape to your work, Kill Joy." Diana tapped her fingers against the table. "And stop calling me, Miss Belle. You're two years older than me. Just Diana is fine. We're friends, remember? Friends use first names."

"Will my using your first name allow you to let me go?"

Diana laughed aloud, "Yes. Definitely."

"Then please, enjoy your day…Diana."

Click.

He didn't let her say, "Goodbye," but she didn't really care about that. Diana was too busy thinking about the way he said her name, softly in comparison to his other words. Like it was something precious.

She chuckled. That L was a special one.

She put that phone to the side and rifled through her belongings to find her other phones. Both her personal a work phones were filled to the brim with messages from none other than the Logan Tracey. Glancing at the time stamp, she had just received these.

_Hey, I know you're busy and that detective has you on a tight schedule, but can we meet tomorrow? For dinner?_

()()()

Diana had assumed that the duo was aware of the new text messages when she entered her hotel room late that evening. Unlike their stay in New York, this suite was a lot bigger and allowed for Diana to have her own separate sitting area as well as bedroom. When she entered the suite, she came into the common sitting area and far to the right sat the detective, eyes glued to several screens.

She was tired and in need of a shower, but she wanted to speak first. You had to do that when you had roommates. "Hello, Detective." She greeted, waltzing toward him with a smile. "What are you doing?"

He blinked hard, shoving an éclair into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, he looked at her. "I'm working on your case, Miss Belle, a fact you seem to forget."

_This again_, Diana thought._ I don't forget. It just doesn't consume my focus._

She wants to tell him this, but decides against it. She couldn't talk to him when he was like this. He'd completely tune her out to the point of being rude. And it did nothing short of bruising her ego.

The detective was a strange guy. He'd act completely fascinated by her one day and then decide she was the most uninteresting person he had ever met the next. But, Diana gave him a little allowance, maybe she was just being a little full of herself.

_Or…he was just an ass._

_Whatever_. She counted to ten, and then turned, deciding to just go to her room. She needed to shower and call her friends anyway, "A hello would have been nice." She said sarcastically as she left, having no doubt that he was no longer listening.

()()()

"Hey, Naomi."

"I'm here too," Kat said, "And Torelei."

"Hey, Boo." Torelei chimed in, and then started off, undoubtedly with a sassy roll of her neck. "We know you've been busy and all, but answer the damn phone."

Diana rolled her eyes, "Who do you think's talking to you now? My secretary?"

"Yeah, well, we've been calling your ass for the last two days." Torelei said. "And you say—what did this bitch say, Kat?"

"I'll talk to you later." Naomi answered instead. "But she wrote TTYL, which is weird because you don't abbreviate. And I respect that. Be above the ignorance, Diana, don't join it."

_It's like every day with this girl. Diana_ paused, "Naomi…sweetie, please stop."

Naomi gasped, "Stop what? It _is_ ignorant!"

"I think she means its offensive to people." Kat reasoned, "You know just because you abbreviate when you text, it doesn't mean you can't spell."

"It doesn't?" Naomi asked, with so much surprise it made everyone collectively sigh. "That's news to me."

Torelei sucked her teeth, "This girl—anyway, where have you been?"

"I've been working." Diana replied truthfully, "I told you guys that."

"B, we haven't seen you." Torelei said, "For all we know, you're half way across the world hiding in some cave."

"Is something wrong, Diana?" Kat said, "did your face get—"

"No! Nothing's wrong, and like I said, I'm perfectly fine. I am. I'm just—" Diana looked up and found the detective inches away from her. She let out a small shriek and then laughed when she realized the detective hadn't realized what the problem was. She hadn't even heard him enter. Did he even knock?

Not that it mattered. She always liked having him there.

"Hey! Is something wrong?" Naomi asked.

"Diana." Kat called.

"Give me a second, my security is here." Diana put the phone on mute and faced the prying detective, "Did something happen?"

"No, just continue as you were but refrain from letting them meet you at your home, if they ask. You're not there and we have several agents set up there to intercept any trespassers."

Diana nodded and took the phone off mute, watching as the detective crouched down beside her, his knees facing her, body leaning forward. "Um…sorry about that. They try to keep me updated every few hours or so, anyway, what were you guys saying?"

"We're coming to see you." Torelei stated. "What time works best for you tomorrow? The day after that I'm going to be in Atlanta for a week for a shoot, so we need this to happen ASAP."

Diana snorted, "You'd think not seeing me for a while would make you a little less bossy and mean."

Torelei's voice cracked with surprise, "I'm not mean, I'm just irritated. How would you feel if I ghosted you after I was stalked and attacked?"

_Point taken._ "Sorry, okay, I've just been staying busy to keep my mind off of it." She'd left off the nightmare bit, they didn't need to know all that.

"We understand that, but we're still your friends," Kat said, "we need to know what's going on. Be fair. You'd be the same way, if not worse."

"Yeah, remember when I accidentally dated that drug dealer?" Naomi laughed, "she broke my lamp."

A tinge of embarrassment curled Diana's lips, and she discreetly turned away from the detective's watchful gaze. "I didn't _break _it."

Torelei added, "Well, you _threw_ it, so…"

"And—And you said that if I didn't break up with him, you would slap the fire out of me. Remember?" Diana didn't know why Naomi was talking so loud when she said this, especially since Diana was trying to quiet her down.

"I don't remember that." Diana lied, swallowing a little, as she felt the detective inch closer.

"I do." Torelei said, "_And?_ I said the same thing. But _I_ meant it. By the way, how do you accidentally date a fuckin' drug dealer?"

Diana threw her hand up, glad she wasn't taking the heat anymore, "My thoughts exactly."

"It's not like it's something you ask on a first date!" Naomi exclaimed.

"But didn't he tell you he sold coke?" Kat asked, "Twice? You didn't even ask."

Naomi giggled. "I thought he meant Coca-cola."

Diana took a deep, steadying breath, looking to the sky for help, "Naomi…please stop talking." If not for L, Diana would have a few more choice words for the girl.

Torelei cut in, "Yeah, before I reach through this phone and choke you out. I swear to God you say this shit just to piss me off—" And it worked too, like clock work. If Diana had a short fuse, Torelei's was non-existent.

"Hey! I don't, really." Naomi sputtered.

"Yeah, okay," Torelei muttered, now thoroughly irritated, "Miss me with that bullshit."

Naomi squeaked, but couldn't stop her answering laugh.

_This is going to get worse, before it gets better_. Diana dared a glance at L, who hadn't moved from his spot, his thumb nail pressed to his lips.

Feeling the need, she mouthed, "Sorry." The detective only shrugged like it didn't matter one way or another.

"Why the hell are you laughing, right now?" Torelei snapped, "What did I say that was funny? I'll wait."

"Everything," Naomi managed to say through gasped of air. "You're so mad a-and," gasp, laugh, "I don't know why."

Torelei paused, "What the fu—"

"Hey," Kat snapped, "That's enough. She's obviously serious Naomi. Dating a drug dealer—who's incarcerated for shooting someone—isn't funny, at all. Torelei don't let her bait you, you know she's just doing it for attention."

Naomi laughed, "Why is Kat so savage, right now?"

Torelei let out a scream of frustration, "Because no matter what we talk about, we always end up talking about you!"

Diana held the phone away from her ear as Torelei reached a pitch high enough to shatter her eardrums.

"—and I'm sick of it. We called to talk about Diana. _Diana_. Not your crazy ass—"

"_Crazy_? How am I even remotely crazy?" Naomi asked with obvious surprise, "I'm the most normal person in the group."

"Most normal? "Torelei exclaimed.

"Uh, yeah, that's…that's not true, Naomi." Kat actually seemed offended now, it usually took her a while to get there. "If normal means you've dated the most crazy guys, then, yeah. You win that award hands down."

Torelei howled with laughter.

"Why are we even talking about me?" Naomi asked. "Why don't we talk about you two for once?"

"Because you—urgh! I'm so done with you." Torelei screamed, but that was a lie. No matter how many times either of us said it, it would probably never be true. "Don't talk to me for the rest of the call, please."

"What?" Naomi asked, "Diana, what did I do? I didn't do anything. Why is everyone mad?"

Diana took a deep breath, now that the other two were up in arms, she had to take on the role of mediator. "No one's mad at you, just your choices—"

"Dumbass choices." Torelei added.

"Thank you, TK, but I got this." Diana said.

Torelei whistled, "Well, excuse the fuck outta me."

Kat abruptly laughed out loud, which caused Diana to crack a smile.

"Sometimes we just don't always want to talk about your choices, especially since talking about your choices always lead down this road." Diana said calmly.

"Oh, okay, I understand. It makes you guys angry." Naomi offered.

Torelei whispered something cutting under her breath.

Diana strained to keep her tone even, "That's right. But that's okay…anyway, I actually have to go so—"

"Hold up," Torelei cut in, "We still haven't discussed tomorrow."

"Oh, well, let's have breakfast together. At nine." Diana offered. "Not at my place."

"Fine." Torelei said, "Is that good for everyone?"

Kat quickly said, "Perfect."

"Yeah, but…that's a little early, isn't it? How about eleven?" Naomi asked.

"That's lunch." Kat said.

"Exactly. You guys know I don't eat breakfast." Naomi told them.

Torelei sucked her teeth, "Anyway, well, me and Kat will see you at nine. Okay, Boo? Love you."

"Love you too." Diana said, "I'll have to make reservations and everything, but I'll text you the place."

"See you then, Love you guys." Kat said.

"I love you too, Kat." Torelei said.

"Even though I hate breakfast and you guys think I'm crazy, I'll be there too." Naomi said, "Hugs and Kisses, and Diana, I really miss you and I'm sorry."

Diana smiled, "I know, Sweetie. Love you too. I love you all."

Finally, she was off the phone. She hesitated only briefly before turning her attention back to the detective. She held up the phone, "Crisis averted."

"It appears so…it was interesting at the very least." L said with that smug undertone to his voice.

"Is that right?"

"Yes. I didn't expect it to derail as quickly as it did. That was a surprise."

"Really? That's actually a typical conversation for us. You know how it is when you're talking with your friends. You start here and somehow you end up half way across the country and someone has to pull the map out to get back again, but the map is upside down so you," she was talking with her hands to illustrate her point but the detective's eyes didn't seem to follow her hands at all. If anything his gaze only seemed to intensify. "You get the idea."

"I do, but I can't say I've experienced it personally."

She raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "I doubt that."

"I don't exactly have a wide selection of friends to try this with, and moreover, when I'm usually speaking with someone I'm interrogating them for information. Straying from the subject usually only increases suspicion."

Diana couldn't help but frown at his words, "That's…" sad. "That can't be."

"Besides, you can't reasonably say that you're always pleased when a conversation derails from its point. Not only does it waste precious time, but it has a tendency to dredge up other issues that you would rather leave alone. Am I wrong in saying this?" L asked like he wasn't actually making a statement, which he was. "For example, when Miss Dare reminded you of the lamp you broke—"

"I didn't _break _it." Diana interrupted with a frown, choosing to stare instead down to the coffee table. "I threw it."

"Did it break after you threw it?" L asked. She couldn't look at him.

Diana threw her head back, "I'm not having this conversation."

L continued on, "Then you broke it."

Diana tried and failed to stop her answering smile, "I hate you."

"Then why are you smiling?" L asked, creeping so close, she has to blink to take in their proximity. His head could touch hers if he chose to move forward anymore. "I don't exactly make it a habit to smile at the people_ I_ hate."

She didn't bother to hide the teasing disbelief in her words. "You actually hate people? You don't seem like the type to hate anyone."

L inclined his head, "A poor choice of words."

"Uh-huh."

"Regardless, I've made my point. You don't hate me. You're just annoyed that I'm right…_and_ that I could make you smile even after proving you wrong. Is my deduction correct, Miss Belle?"

L was so….

Diana pursed her lips, choosing now not to avoid his gaze, but lean forward, so that his bangs tickled her forehead. "You could say that…Detective."

Being this close, a breath apart, his dilated eyes revealed barely a sliver of his iris, but this close she could see that his eyes were grey. Soft grey. But the soft color didn't detract from the burn of his eyes, like their darkness could consume everything in the room if they wanted to. Like black fire.

The two firm knocks on the door, made Diana smile before pulling away. Watari opened the door a crack, "Please excuse the interruption, but did you inform Miss Belle about what you wanted her to do about Logan Tracey."

"I was actually in the middle of doing that now, but, thank you, Watari." L said, glancing toward the older gentleman. "For the reminder."

_He definitely wasn't, Watari, but…whatever. _Again, L was super bi-polar. _Make up your mind._

Watari seemed to smile, but Diana couldn't be sure with that fluffy mustache of his, "Of course. I'll come around with dinner shortly."

He closed the door behind him with a snap, and Diana turned back to the detective who was wearing a slight frown. "Is everything alright?" she asked, tempted to reach toward him but stopped herself. He'd probably jump if she did that.

He looked up, "Yes. Miss Belle, unfortunately, we'll have to have you speak to Mr. Tracey."

_Ah, so he did know._

Diana fished the phone out of the space between the sofa cushions, L watching her do this. "Okay, shoot."

L pressed his thumb to his lip again, peering blankly into the ceiling, "Please apologize for making him wait, explain that you've been very busy since your return (as he should know), but you should be able to meet with him tomorrow around four o'clock. Tell him about your curfew—that you despise—and that you won't be able to have dinner with him because of it."

Diana typed everything he said, allowed the detective to look it over, before she hit send. "By the way, I don't hate the imposed curfew. It's actually a really good idea. And I actually enjoy spending more time with…"L's eyes darted down to meet hers, "Watari. I _love_ his company."

L tilted his head, fingers digging into his knees. "I'll be sure to let him know."

"Please do."

With that, L turned, stepped off the cushion and shoved his hands into his pockets, turning to walk around the couch.

Diana struck out, grasping his wrist, "Where are you going? You're not leaving me, are you?"

"I have work to do, so, yes, I must leave you." L responded, "Watari will bring by your dinner soon."

She nodded, letting him go. "Fine. If I don't see you anymore, have a goodnight, pleasant dreams, and _please_…call me Diana."

Glancing over his shoulder, he seemed to search her face as he answered, his voice quiet. "Sleep well…Diana."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Guys! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to review, follow, or favorite. I appreciate all of them.


	5. Chapter 5: Unbelievable

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, only my OCs and plot.**

**Back To You**

Chapter Five: Unbelievable

* * *

_"What makes someone too good to be true?" Kat asked. "People say that but how can you tell?"_

_"Because no one's perfect." Torelei said. "That's how you tell."_

_"I think that just depends on your definition," Diana said with frown. "Flaws and all, to you, someone could be perfect, princely even. And, of course, to me, he could be a perfect nightmare. But…of course, we know some people like nightmares."_

* * *

"This is so nice," Kat commented as the servers unveiled her dish. A light breeze ruffled the thin billowy curtains in the entire pavilion. Delicate fairy lights circling the wooden beams into the roof of the pavilion gave it an angelic, unearthly glow. Every server wore crisp white clothing, bearing no particular mark or association with any restaurant.

Diana had no idea where these people had come from, she supposed she didn't need to, she just knew that L had set it up. It sat at the center of a flourishing garden, and several members of her security team were stationed here and there, positioned near the trees. Some in plain view, others hidden. When L had the time to do this? She had no clue. She was just as surprised as the girls when her driver had escorted her here. Of course, it had been L who had taken the liberty to give directions to the girls, but still…it was a surprise. A very sweet surprise.

"Isn't it?" Diana gasped, gazing fondly at her own dish. Eggs benedict, the perfect breakfast. Nothing more, nothing less.

Torelei took a picture of her meal with her phone, and then turned it around to take a picture of her and the entire table. "So cute. Thanks Diana."

Naomi squealed, "I feel like a princess! How much did you pay for this?"

Diana was overjoyed to reveal the truth, "Noth—"

Torelei shook her head, "You don't have to answer that, Diana. Naomi, that's rude as fuck. You don't ask people how much money they spent on you. What's _wrong_ with you? Damn, girl."

Kat blinked hard, but by her disbelieving gaze, Diana knew she agreed with the sentiment. "Yeah, Naomi. You really shouldn't do that."

Naomi gestured wildly with her hands, "Why not? It's not like she doesn't have any money. Diana has more money than all of us combined."

Diana had half a mind to cut her off right there, but she hesitated too late. Before she knew it, Torelei had put aside her fork and twisted in Naomi's direction.

Torelei put her elbow on the table, turning to face Naomi. "Um…first of all, speak for yourself. _You_ don't have any money. Your _parents_ have money, okay? Let's get that right. Kat is going to school to be a teacher, so she's better than all of us..."

Kat straightened in her seat, her cheeks blushing red as her blue eyes widened with glee. "Aww. And don't say that."

"Still, you kind of proved my point. You add us all up and…she still has the most money." Naomi took a sip of her champagne and gave a shrug. "Could you afford to rent this place out for a day?"

A small breeze that filtered through Torelei's short brown bob, also was the only sound that filled the pavilion for a while, not even the sweet sound of birds could overcome the awkwardness in the pavilion.

Torelei's green-brown gaze glared at the ceiling before coming back down, "Look you dumbass, fake Diana Ross looking ass bitch—"

"Alright, guys. That's enough." Diana finally cut in, "Enjoy this food or go home and I'll enjoy it myself. By myself…with Kat."

Kat looked awkwardly down at her half finished meal. In order to avoid the confrontation, she had immediately dived into her plate. Diana closed her eyes, and wondered, not for the first time, where the group would be if she wasn't around. Not hanging out, that's for sure. They'd kill each other.

Well, Torelei would kill Naomi, and Kat would probably try to break it up from the sidelines. And, of course, that meant not getting involved herself. She wouldn't want either of them truly mad at her.

Torelei straightened up without another word, pressing her already pursed lips into a sour line. Even angry, the girl looked pretty. She was a gorgeous girl, with a symmetrical spattering of freckles along her golden-brown skin. She had no reason to feel inadequate, but any comparison to Diana set her off. Something that seemed to have been born in childhood and never quite left. She'd never blame Diana for it, God forbid, but she would cut the orator down to pieces. It was one of the few things that seemed to stand between them.

Kat was the easiest to be around. There were no comparisons, no babysitting, she was self-contained, but…she also had a tendency to let others take advantage of her, or allow awkwardness to make her draw into herself. As long as no light was shone on her, she could flourish.

Naomi…well, she needed no introduction or explanation. Her choices and words, spoke well enough for her.

"Um, so, when do you start filming?" Kat asked chipperly.

"Tomorrow actually. I should have Brittania back too." Diana said taking a sip of her orange juice. "The poor thing. She's been losing her mind about my schedule, but I sort of have someone else in charge of it now."

"Who?" Naomi leaned forward, her thick hair defying gravity. Torelei was right, she looked just like Diana Ross…with that hairstyle at least. "Did you fire little Britannia?"

"The girl is older than you, Naomi, so don't call her little. And Diana didn't say that." Torelei cut in, still aggressive, but it was definitely less venomous. "Obviously."

"The detective, right? L?" Kat asked, her eyes wide with interest.

Diana nodded, and then lowered her voice with a smile, "Actually, he set this up."

"Really?" Naomi shivered, "Is he available?"

Torelei leaned back in her seat, and threw her cloth napkin in Naomi's face, but she gave her throaty laugh, "Why are you so damn thirsty? Besides he's probably like an old man with liver spots."

Diana laughed at them, little did they know. "I don't think so, but I've never seen him."

"That's too bad," Naomi frowned, downing some water, "But I've been trying to get back out there because Greg broke up with me, remember?"

"When did this happen?" Kat asked, and then remembered, "oh, this was before the whole stalker thing, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," she began to sniffle. And Diana closed her eyes briefly. "I didn't want to bring it up again, all things considered."

For Naomi, this is sweet. Diana gave her a smile. "Thanks, Sweetie. You didn't have to do that. I want distractions."

Naomi reached across the table and squeezed Diana's hand. Naomi was a lot, but sometimes…sometimes, she was the sweetest girl in the world.

Torelei looked from Diana's face to Kat's, "Who the fuck is Greg? I thought you were with some guy named Michael."

Kat's eyes widened, "_Not_ Michael Moore?"

Diana shook her head, "Different one, I think."

"I went on one date with Michael Turner…and he got back together with his girlfriend." Naomi sighed.

Torelei recoiled, "Ooo, damn."

"I know!" she then flipped open her phone, "Want to see her?"

"N…yeah, actually," Diana admitted with a shrug. "Pass it around."

Torelei wiped her mouth with her napkin, before leaning over to Naomi. "Yes, let's see this bitch."

After getting no more than a glance, Torelei instantly grimaced, and passed it on to Diana who only needed one look. She nodded to herself, before passing it on without comment.

Kat took the most time examining it, peering deeply, catching Diana's eye before she gave it back.

Torelei busied herself with her glass of water.

Naomi sniffled again, eyes bleary with tears, "Um, what do you think? You think she looks better than me?"

Diana knew for certain she had to be the one to broach this subject. Torelei didn't have the restraint, and perhaps Kat had too much. She sighed, and measured her words before speaking, "First of all, you should just forget all about Michael Turner."

"Why? You think she's prettier than me? She's flatter than I am!"

Diana winced like she'd been slapped. "No. I don't think that, and you are _not_ flat."

"You have a nice ass." Torelei managed to tell her with an apologetic smile.

Naomi gave her hand a squeeze, "Thank you, I work hard for it."

"You won't be able to give Michael what he wants." Diana said simply, giving her a nod to see if she caught the drift.

"And what does he want?" Naomi shook the phone in her hand, "Some pasty girl that dresses like a man?"

Torelei covered her mouth as she murmured, "You're getting warmer."

"Sweetie," Diana began again, after pinching Torelei, "you can't compete because that isn't a woman. _That…_is a man."

"…So, he's gay?" Naomi asked with a slight whine.

Kat shrugged, "Or bi-sexual. Either way…if he decided to go back to this guy here, that means he probably preferred someone with different equipment."

"A penis."

"Right."

"I see. But…he _could _want me back?"

Kat's fingers slipped around her empty glass, a vary observant server came by and quickly refilled it. "He could, but…you won't be able to do certain things for him…he might want."

Naomi liked to pretend ignorance sometimes, it was one of her more infuriating traits. "Like?"

Diana looked for help but found none. "Naomi…you don't _have_ what he _has_."

"And?"

"Okay, look," Torelei took over, fed up with tact. "Either he dumped you because you're not a man or he dumped your ass because your personality _sucked_. Which one do you want?"

Naomi answered with little hesitation, "I'll take the first one."

"There you go!" Kat said, with glee. "Let's go with that."

"Don't let it bother you, happens all the time." Torelei clapped her hands together, "Anyway, back to Diana and this L character…"

()()()

Diana had spent the last few hours practicing with L about how she should approach Logan.

"There are a few pieces of information I want him to know, just see how he'll react," L said, sitting directly in front of her, somehow perching easily on the coffee table without toppling it. It was an endearing display, something a kid would do, just because. "You'll have to lead into these pieces very organically. I have no doubt in your ability, of course, it's very easy to talk to you."

Diana smiled, inclining her head to the right, "You think so?"

His fingers dug into his jeans, his large eyes staring at her unflinchingly, "Of course, or I wouldn't have said so."

"Not even to be nice?" she questioned, leaning toward him.

L, of course, just lulled his head to the side. "It wouldn't serve any purpose to lie to you," he admitted dully, "especially since this task calls for a skilled conversationalist."

"I see," she mused, scooting forward, "So what you're saying is that everything you say…is said with absolute truth and conviction?"

He sighed, "Miss Belle—"

"Diana." She reminded.

"You are purposely veering from the subject." L told her, "I shouldn't have to tell you how important it is for us to get this right."

"I_ know_, and you won't have to if you answer my question."

After a brief pause in which L kept his distractingly deep eyes on her face, he began to chew on his thumb nail. Finally, after Diana was about to give up hope, he responded in a rather low tone of voice. "Actually, I think you've misunderstood me. I never said that everything I say is said with_ absolute_ truth or conviction. I may have conviction when I say something, but it doesn't make it truthful. As I said before, lying to you would serve no purpose…in this case."

The quiet that accompanied his words came rushing into the room, drowning out all of her other senses. For a moment, she wasn't sure who sat in front of her. "So…if you needed to, you'd lie to me?"

At that, he slowly pulled his eyes away from her and toward the ceiling. She, on the other hand, could not look away. "If I needed to? Yes, I would." L continued as if his words were normal, as if people said these things all the time. "To achieve the desired result, I can think of very few things that I _wouldn't_ do."

She'd said something once to Naomi about absolute, unflinching honesty, but staring at him now, she couldn't think of the exact words.

"L?" Watari interrupted, seeming to spring from the shadows. "Are the two of you prepared?"

Just like that the world was righted, and the darkness seemed to return to the corners of the room, taking with it this strange shiver of foreboding.

"Almost." L told him, "thank you, Watari."

"Of course. Miss Belle? Can I get you anything?"

There was something undeniably human about Watari, something warm, a sharp contrast to the detective.

"Actually, would you mind taking a walk with me, Mr. Watari?" She asked, watching his bushy brows rise in surprise. "You remind me of my grandfather—you look nothing like him of course, but still— and, I know it's strange, but I'd like to just walk next to you. Just for a while."

_Just for a little sunshine. _She thought. _ Just so I can breathe._

Watari apparently was completely unprepared for the request, and seemed to fumble for a moment, before he gave her a chuckle. "I would not be opposed to it, Miss Belle. If that is fine with you, L?"

Diana set her eyes on the detective who seemed to bear no particular expression at all, it actually looked like perhaps he had fallen asleep with his eyes open.

"L?" She asked, she stood to her feet and waved her hand in front of his face. "Earth to L? Are you okay?"

"It's fine." L mumbled, "But keep it short. We have to go over this again."

"Will do and thank you. I _know_ you hate to share him." She said as she placed her hand over his, the last one guarding his knee. Her fingers slipped between his knuckles before she gave the hand a squeeze. "I would give you a kiss as thanks, but I know you wouldn't like it."

Her hand slipped from his and she moved toward the wooden door.

His reply was quiet, and she barely heard it as she opened the door with Watari in tow, "You sure like to assume, don't you?"

()()()

Meeting Logan in a public place had been L's idea, but by public of course, he meant a place where he could easily monitor the situation. They, of course, would be meeting at the same cute little manor L was renting out for his agents. The same manor he had arranged for breakfast. They were everywhere (these agents), most were dressed as employees, help, but Logan wouldn't be able to tell the difference. He had eyes only for the rich and famous.

Diana's eyes roamed from the paintings on the wall to the random antiques decorating tables. She pulled her hair behind her as she waited, she'd taken the liberty to sit in an armchair so he wouldn't be tempted to sit beside her. Her gaze fell to the window, the bright red roses just outside. The weather looked so tempting.

She heard the door open, and the deliberate sound of footsteps. She turned her head in his direction, giving him a weak smile. "Hey, Logan."

He wore a black business suit, onyx and gold cufflinks on display. In all honesty, suits did for men what high heels usually did for women. It added this sex appeal that was impossible to overlook. Strangely, Diana didn't find it very difficult as he stood before her.

"Diana…" he began, making as if to hug,her, but she waved him off with, "I don't really feel like hugging right now…I'm still a little jumpy. You understand."

"I see," He nodded, instead giving her shoulder an awkward squeeze as he decided to forego the chair in front of her and instead sit on the coffee table so they could face each other. L thought he might do that. She had hoped he wouldn't. "I'm really sorry about all this. It can't be amazing, still having to work and do your scenes especially considering the context."

The movie was a reboot of _The Bodyguard, _a film about a superstar being targeted and then falling in love with her bodyguard. In truth, she hadn't thought about it much until he brought it up. The movie was the very _last_ thought on her mind at the end of the day, including its parallels to her own life.

"I'll manage. I did sign up for that movie. I'm just avoiding contact in my personal life." Diana explained, "To make it easier, you know?"

His eyes were large, puppy eyes, so full of understanding, Diana almost lost her smile. It was disgusting watching him sit there and play pretend. "Yeah. How's the album?"

"It's coming along. I'll make the deadline."

He nodded, and then reached toward her, resting his thick hand on her knee. She was thankful she had worn jeans. "You seem tired."

"That's because I am. I haven't been sleeping well."

He began to rub the knee, sliding higher, his thumb giving it soft strokes.

_Act. Diana. Act_. She had to remind herself, _breathe, and act._

"It's to be expected. I'm sorry I wasn't there—if I was—"

"I doubt you could have helped. He still would have stalked me. I should have paid more attention." Diana said, reaching down to pick the offending hand up, giving it a reassuring squeeze before she let it drop away from her. "That's on me."

He pursed his lips, leaning back, "So, how's that detective? He found anything?"

"I have no idea." She sighed deeply, "He only contacts me when he wants to, which is _never."_

"I thought you'd meet in person?"

"We would have, had you not been there. He was very angry that I had even brought you. So he left before we got into the hotel…I spoke to him through a laptop instead." Diana shrugged, "But, I'm not offended, he's helping me, that's all that matters."

His fingers tapped against the table, not seeming the least bit remorseful. "I guess he set this up too, huh?"

"Yes," she grinned, taking another look around the gorgeous room. "He's very…resourceful."

Logan scoffed, a crease appearing between his brow, "You sound like you like him or something."

Diana narrowed her eyes, "I'm sorry?"

He shook his head, "Nothing, I was just asking about the movie."

_Sure, you were._

She let him escape. "Oh, it's going to be great, Antonia is a miracle worker."

He snorted, "Please, you did that all on your own. People like Jason Morgan, but he's a start up. You're the biggest name attached to the film. _It _needs _you_, not the other way around. She barely did any work."

"She's still amazing, and I'd appreciate it if you weren't so dismissive of her." Diana said, sternly. "She's been very concerned throughout this process."

"Of course, if something happens to you, _she'd _be out of a job—"

"That's enough, Lo." She snapped and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about this anymore." She then watched his hands, his left shaking minutely, "Anyway, I'm thinking about firing Dorne."

He straightened out immediately, "Why would you do that?"

"Because he didn't come when I contacted him. _No one_ came, Logan, don't you remember that? They said they never got the message, but that's not true because I remember _sending_ the message. I had service. I held down the emergency button. He just didn't want to come." Diana watched her hands, "I don't know but…I think he's behind it, Lo. He's _always_ been so weird and he's _always_ staring at me…"

"But didn't the stalker die though? Isn't he just trying to find out how he got to you?"

Diana shrugged, "L thinks there's a mastermind behind it, and I think he's right. That guy was too dumb to do this on his own_ and _get past my security? No. He needed help. I think Dorne gave it to him."

Logan dropped her gaze, the muscles in his jaw pulled tight. "It could've been someone else. Someone in the hotel. Klein maybe—"

"No. Klein's been on leave for weeks." Diana told him, "and besides he's like my brother. He's like you, Lo. He wouldn't do that."

Logan shook his head, not meeting her gaze. "That can't be right. I know Dorne. He's an old friend."

It was her turn to make contact. She reached forward, cupping his cheek with her right hand, nailing his gaze with hers so he couldn't turn away. "I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true. He's always been weird to me. I think I'm going to tell L—"

"No!" he grabbed her arms, and Diana recoiled, eyes wide, and he instantly let go. "I'm sorry, just…don't say anything. Not until I do some investigating of my own. Okay?"

Diana paused, as if she had to think it over, as if the room wasn't completely bugged and L wouldn't hear a peep of this. "Okay. I'll wait, but I'll have to contact him soon…text me right away when you finish what you're doing."

"I'll do that." He said, standing to his feet. "I should probably go. Good-bye, Diana."

"Good-bye."

"Oh, and what time will you be home?" He asked, "I'd like to drop by."

"I thought you knew," she said, "L has me under lock and key until he's certain no one can get to me. I can't have visitors."

"I figured." He said, "I should have known that if he has you on curfew."

"It's annoying, but…there's no point in arguing." Diana said. "He doesn't like no for an answer."

Logan nodded, wheels turning behind his eyes. "Do you know who he suspects?"

Diana snorted darkly, "I wish. Besides, if he suspected someone, he'd probably have them arrested already, wouldn't he? I wouldn't have to deal with all this." That seemed to satisfy him.

She watched him leave, shutting the door behind himself. She immediately went to the washroom to scrub her hands clean of him. She washed her hands at least three times until she was satisfied.

When she walked back into the room, her cell buzzed. It wasn't either of her personal phones, but her L-Phone. "Hello?"

"_You are very good at that."_ L remarked, with an impressed undertone to his voice. _"If I didn't already know you were lying, I probably would have bought that. Well, if I also didn't know you as well as I do."_

She smiled, walking forward and sliding her hands over the couch in a caress. "You know me well, Detective? When did _that_ happen?"

Chuckle, _"I'll see you at the hotel." _Pause, she listened for the call ending click that never came. _"And by the way, you performed admirably…Diana." _

Click.

_There it is._ She grinned and headed for the door.

()()()

All of Diana's scenes were set to film first. She didn't mind, but that just meant that she spent more time on set than away from it. It also meant that she spent an ample amount of time with people than away from them.

The last three days, she'd gotten back to the hotel and barely managed a wave before she collapsed. But even collapsing proved difficult since she had to write. She absolutely hated film scheduling. Getting there before day break, hair and make up, act, break and back to the drawing board. Three days of this and she was sure she'd never do another film again.

She was sure not to voice this to any of her co-stars. When she complained, she did it in the privacy of her trailer, in the recesses of her mind. The last thing she wanted was to get a 'she's hard to work with' reputation. Besides, her co-stars, Jason Morgan especially, were amazing. They were more excited to see her than to start filming, which was adorable. Jason made his like for her well known by cornering her after their scenes together.

"Is that Princess Diana?" Jason covered his hand with his mouth to hide his cheeky grin, "You're even more beautiful in person."

"Yes, and probably even more beautiful than five minutes ago, right?" Diana asked with a quick smile over her shoulder, as she continued down the hall.

He fell into step beside her, "Not only are you a princess…but a mind reader as well. Wow."

"I am very talented, apparently." She said, "You're naming attributes I didn't even know I had."

He threw his head back with a laugh, like a little kid. Despite laughing like a child, he was quite the specimen. One of their scenes called for him to be shirtless, and she had no doubt he would impress. _No doubt_. "Where are you off to? The buffet's that way."

"I know," she said with a sigh, "I'm supposed to check-in with the head of my security now. If I don't, he tends to chew me out."

"You must know each other pretty well, you're smiling about it." He said, giving her a playful push with his shoulder. She felt its heat even after he pulled away.

"It's kind of adorable. He's more worried than I am." Diana gets to the end of the hall, giving him a little wave with her fingers. She stopped when he held a hand up to his temple.

"Wait—what am I thinking?" He closes his eyes tight as he asks this, towering over her at six-three to her five-seven.

She leans back, taking this moment to pause. She allowed her eyes to roam over his arms, corded with muscle, and the white t-shirt, showing off every curve and dip. His collar bone had to be her favorite, but, alas, this was extremely unprofessional. "You're thinking that…you shouldn't mix business with pleasure."

He gave her an easy smile, his oceanic eyes burning into her skin. "You forgot yet."

"Hm?"

"I'm thinking that I shouldn't mix business with pleasure…_yet_." He gave her a shrug, stepping closer so he could speak right against her ear. "We have to get to know each other a little more."

Diana rolled her eyes with her smile, "You are very cute, Mr. Morgan and completely out of your depths. You'd really let me _ruin_ you?"

He flashed those pearly white teeth of his, tugging on his lip, "_Please_ ruin me. I'd love for you to ruin me."

"You are incorrigible." She gave him a chiding pat on the chest. "And you've made me very late."

He began to reach for her, not willing the game to end. "But Princess—"

"_Goodbye_, Jason." She said, finally turning back to the exit to take her leave. She wore a girlish grin, the likes of which foretold of a song—many songs. She could probably write a dozen on his abs alone. She could see her writer's block shattering before her eyes.

This, of course, would have to be thoroughly discussed with the girls. She knew Naomi would complain. "Urgh! Why do you get to play hard to get all the time?"

Torelei would respond, "What does that even mean? 'Get to play'? She _is _hard to get. We all are, and you should be too…if you weren't so damn thirsty."

They were too easy to predict.

Diana settled on her couch, toying with a salad a breath before she called. It barely rang before it was answered. "Hey, L."

"_Hello, Miss Belle. Thank you for checking in_." He said, "_Although you never seem to be on time, I appreciate it anyhow_."

Talking to L, during break, and in the brief moments at the hotels, had been her saving grace these last few days. Their exchanges were short, but were always strangely charged, for some reason.

She giggled, managing to finally spear a tomato. "You're welcome, Detective."

A pleasant pause hung between them, in which she enjoyed his obvious hesitation on the other end. She had a feeling he loved it when she called him Detective. The same way _she_ loved it when _he_ called her…_Diana_.

Of course, this was about the time he moved in for an excuse to leave but, instead she got, "_…so, how's your day going?_"

Stop the presses! _Was the great and powerful, L actually trying to keep a conversation going avec moi?_

Choosing to forego the salad, she dropped her fork and pulled her legs beneath her. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased before lying back, "to tell you the truth, it's rather boring without you bossing me around."

"_I can't see how that's possible_." L mused, a certain lightness in his voice. "_Isn't that what the director is for?_"

"Not at all. He's actually much nicer than you," she mused, closing her eyes, "…must be why I don't like him as much."

"_And your cast members? How do you feel about them?_" L asked randomly, quickly.

She shrugged, "They're fine people, I guess. They're nice to me."

L took a moment to pause, "_Do you think you're getting close with any of them?_"

She laughed, "This is only the fourth day. You'll have to ask me again when filming ends."

"_I see._" He said, and then changed gears, "_And your co-star, Jeffery Mason, or whatever his name is, what do you think of him?_"

She burst out laughing, "L, you are the most informed detective in the world, you knew Naomi's last name without me saying it, and you can't remember my co-star's name is Jason Morgan?"

She swore she could practically feel him roll his eyes as he said, "_I only remember important information_."

"Like Naomi's last name?" she offered, examining her shoes as she held them in the air.

"_I conducted thorough background checks on all of your associates._" He informed her, all matter of factually, _"Including Miss Dare, Miss Kyle, and Miss Westing._"

"Sure, but you decided all of my co-stars, complete strangers, were A-Okay?" she said teasingly, "You thought they were much more harmless than my own friends, L?"

"_I never said that_." He admitted. then added, rather darkly, "_I know a great deal about…Mr. Mason._"

She stilled, not quite liking his tone when he said that. "What does that mean? He's not some weirdo, freak or anything, is he?"

"_Unfortunately,…_"

Diana adjusted her phone, "I'm sorry, L, I didn't quite hear you. What did you say?"

"_I said fortunately, no, he isn't. He's completely boring._" L said with a dry sigh.

"Good," she said relaxing again, "The last thing I want to do is kiss some _raging_ psychopath."

L took on this strangely bored tone, "_No. I imagine that would be uncomfortable._"

Her answering smile made her very cheeks burn, "How would I ever get by without you?"

"_I have no doubt you'd manage._" L although muffled could not hide the smile in his voice. "_I'll leave you to it. Please, enjoy your day."_

"Wait!" she stopped him before he hung up, sitting erect now, "Thank you, for talking to me. I always enjoy our conversations."

Pause. "_…likewise, Miss—_" He stopped himself, "_Likewise, Diana._"

Click.

Diana allowed herself to fall back into her couch with a grin. She was starting to notice a pattern with him, no matter what, he'd always manage to get the last word. Coincidence? _Probably not. _L was just that type. Weirdly, she liked it.

The next day went about the same, leaving her bouncing with energy as she left to lunch.

Under normal circumstances, Diana liked to join the others on the set during lunch after her call to L. She and Britannia would eat with the rest of the talent and forge relationships. She wasn't the only who did it. Everyone did it. Having good relationships was almost more important than actually being talented. That was one thing she hated about this life, that truth. No matter how hard you worked, no matter how many songs you personally wrote, if you didn't know anyone…the world wouldn't know you. And, so naturally, she went out of her way to be kind and friendly. Word of mouth was the best publicity, being a diva only got you so far. Being friendly got you farther.

But…today was different, today she wanted to steal away and wait for L's call. Yesterday, he'd actually surprised her with a lengthy conversation _he_ initiated. Today, she was hoping for something similar, so when she grabbed whatever she wanted from the catered table and began walking away, she started when Jason called out to her.

"Diana!"

The tray almost tumbled to the floor, but Jason struck out, and steadied it for her with a grin. His hands slid over hers, heat radiating into her. Jason's hands were large, lithe instruments, marked with veins that echoed of strength and led up along the length of his well-muscled forearms into his broad chest. _You could set a table on that chest of his…and dine._

Diana gave him an embarrassed laugh, "You are just_ determined_ to destroy my reputation, aren't you? People actually believe I'm graceful, you know?"

He chuckled, his pearly white teeth teasing his full lips, "Someone has to, and I'm just clumsy enough to do it."

Diana mused for a moment, "You know I never thought I'd live to see the day when you admit to something like that."

He gave her an outlaw's smile, his cheeks showing her a single dimple. "Something like what?"

"Conspiring to_ ruin_ me."

His fingers slid from her hands to her wrist in a caress before he decided to let her go. "Rome wasn't built in a day, I'm sure your empire won't topple in one. Especially not by the likes of me."

"The likes of you?" Diana gasped in mock surprise, taking note of the little fires his grasp left behind. "What exactly are you telling me Mr. Morgan?"

"A simple country boy like myself could never come close to even dreaming of touching the empire that is…" Jason gave her a deep bow at the waist his dark blonde hair falling into his eyes as he looked up, "Diana Belle."

"Hmm," Diana could feel a smile tugging at her lips, "Does that mean I shouldn't worry about you?"

"On the contrary, it means you should." He began walking around her, his very defined arm brushing hers, she could feel his tightness through the fabric. "I have nothing to lose."

"Ooo, how frightening." Diana gave him her own little smile, rolling her eyes as he walked by her toward the buffet table. She was going to use this as her cue to leave until he called out to her again.

"You aren't leaving, are you?" He gave her a faux wounded look, "Did I scare you off?"

"Oh, Completely." Diana told him, looking just over her shoulder.

"Me and my bad habits." He admonished himself, his oceanic eyes seemed to almost glow as they watched her.

"Truly deplorable."

"How can I make it up to you?"

Diana thought this over, lulling her head to the side. "I'll have to let you know later."

He stepped toward her, tray piled high, "Over dinner?"

She gasped, pretending at innocence. "I've barely had lunch."

He pulled at that lip again, "You are not making this easy for me."

"I have no clue what you're talking about." She told him sweetly, "for my sake, you'll have to be more specific."

"Ugh!" He covered his face in agony, and she couldn't help but giggle. "Why are you so painfully good at this?"

With that she turned around, "Good at what?"

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and nailed her with that sharp gaze. He then took his fork and hit it against his tall glass, _ding-ding-ding. _"Alright, Diana, you win this round."

With a last glance, she gave him a blinding smile. "It wasn't much of a round."

He threw his head back, releasing a stream of air from his nostrils. There was no mistaking his smile though, and the way he smiled—recklessly—with his eyes.

Mixing business with pleasure was always a bad idea, but if he kept this up…she'd have no choice. What else could a girl possibly do?

"Will you at least do me the honor of sitting _near_ me while we partake in this_ delicious _abode?" he swept his arm dramatically behind him at the buffet table.

Her entire face tightened with a smile, he was trying very hard to make her laugh and it was working. "Mr. Morgan, I think I will do you that honor, just give me a moment while I leave word with my advance guard."

He decided to take her tray, she guessed so that she would have to come back to him, even if she decided to ditch him, to get it back. He gave her another ridiculous bow, "My lady."

"Careful," she warned, "wouldn't want to get to far ahead of ourselves, would we?"

"Too late," he told her with a grin, "I'm already planning the second date. How does golf sound to you?"

"Sounds like you're trying too hard to gain my favor."

"Is it working?"

Without answering, she turned away and made it back to her dressing room where she would get her phone.

The secure phone rang and she picked up immediately, "Hello?"

"_Miss Belle."_

A giddiness surged through her at the sound of his voice. She spoke low into the phone. "L. Always good to hear your voice."

"_Is it?_" He asked in this strange tone.

She rolled her eyes, "Of course. What are you doing?"

"_Working_."

Diana sighed, she should know better by now. "I know that. I'd thought we had gotten past all this already. Are we back to square one, Detective?" she asked jokingly.

She hung on for a response to that, but all she got was quiet.

Instead, she changed tactics. "You told me yesterday that you've taken on another case. How's that going?"

As she guessed, he never really answered. _"Your interest in my work is becoming slightly suspicious_."

"Well, you should keep a closer eye on me. I'm libel to cause all _sorts_ of mischief when you're not around."

Diana finally pulled a chuckle from him and that was strangely satisfying, giving more vindication than interaction should.

L's voice was low. _"Perhaps you're correct._"

She smiled, needing to capitalize on her victory. "Okay, detective, what's happening?"

He smugly informed her, "_I'm not going to give you any details…_"

"Then don't." she said with a wild flip of her hand, "Bare minimum is fine."

"_Aren't you supposed to be having lunch?_" He asked in this weird tone.

"I have food here with me in my trailer." She didn't know how else to respond to it. Diana called him during lunch. He knew that.

_"But don't you have someone waiting for you?"_

Diana knew she'd heard wrong, and wouldn't reply unless he'd confirmed what she supposedly heard. "What?"

_"I asked you how long you have for lunch._" L repeated evenly.

She gasped with a laugh, "Oh, two hours, but it flies by usually, the cast is _amazing_. Never a dull moment with them." She then added with a grin, "We may even be friends by the end, who knows?"

"_I see_." He said, shooting out his next words in quick succession. "_I'll let you get back to them. Thank you for checking in, Miss Belle."_

Click.

She snorted, turning the phone over in her hand. _Weird._

For the first time, she managed to arrive back to the hotel with more than a little energy. She was off to the races with her shower, and then decided to pay the _detective_ a visit.

Her pajamas were thin and a little short, so she hid herself within a long silk robe, as she walked into the room. Her hair spilled over her shoulders in deep brown curls. The fabric kissed her skin in a caress making her feel like she was some kind of angel. Energy did that to you, it amplified even the smallest things. She made it all the way beside him, until he finally seemed to notice her.

Even then, he didn't remove his eyes from the screens in front of him, his fingers plunging a piece of cake into his waiting mouth. "Can I help you?"

He sounded bored, off on some planet. But, that was him always. She responded chipperly, pulling her legs beneath her as she sat close enough for her shoulder to brush his arm. "No. I'm just checking on you. How're things going?"

"Well," he said, strangely adamant about not sparing her a single glance. "Now, if you would please excuse me. I'd like to work in peace."

Diana finally noticed that tone of his was bordering on irritation. She recoiled slightly, not fully understanding his attitude. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

L's voice was both authoritative and smugly dismissive. "Miss Belle, didn't you tell me last night that you needed to begin writing for you album. Isn't now the most opportune time?"

Diana tried to smile, "Well, yes, but I'd rather not—"

"Well, you don't have to do that, but I would rather you left me to my work here. In addition to your case, I'm also doing a few others. They require my _immediate _attention." L said simply, taking this moment to shove a cheesecake square past his greedy lips.

_What's…going on here? Did something happen? _"I can't just _sit_ here? I won't say anything."

"I would rather be alone, actually."

"But why?" It was strange that she couldn't stop herself from asking this. It was just so unbelievable—so _bizarre_. He _had _to be playing some kind of weird joke. He had to be. L didn't say it…but he liked having her around. At least…that's what she thought, anyway. _Didn't he?_

"Because you are a distraction, and I need the entirety of my focus." He said sharply, slicing that thought from her mind. "I can't spare any for you."

If that wasn't a hit to her ego, she didn't know what was. She barely knew how to act, although anger was quickly overriding her humiliation each second that passed. Diana envisioned removing the donut from his hand, smashing it in her palms before she wiped the mess against his cheeks with a smile.

She didn't, of course, that would be a bad idea.

Again, he only seemed to want her around when _he_ _wanted_ her to be around. She got up, feeling weirdly embarrassed and irritated. Dismissed like a child.

Watari sprung from the shadows, yet again, intervening like he was the Detective Whisperer. "Miss Belle, he doesn't mean it in a _negative_ way, I assure you. It's only that the information he's dealing with is confidential. You understand."

_Aww,_ he was such a sweet gentleman, unlike Mr. Bossy Britches. "Thank you, Mr. Watari, consider me assured." Diana gave him a smile, and then added with a delicate kind of venom. "I will remember not to bother His Majesty with my presence in the future."

Watari looked conflicted, reaching to stop her, but Diana was already taking her leave.

She made it to her room and pounced on her couch, her notebooks stacked neatly on the coffee table. She didn't want to write a single word. Her insides were burning, a firestorm of irritation. He didn't have to be such a jerk about it, did he? He could have just told her it was classified, and she would have understood. _What an ass._

_Fine. _If he wanted peace and solitude, he'd get it.

She flipped through her phone and found a message flashing.

_Hey, Princess. Do you think talking on the phone is unprofessional?_

Smiling, she responded. _Not at all._

Her phone was ringing soon after. She didn't answer immediately, let it ring a few times before she asked, "Hello. Who is this?"

Jason gave her a throaty laugh, "You are just cruel! Twist the knife in why don't you?"

"Okay, done," she told him. "just show me where it is."

"Goodness, I'm not that kinda guy, Diana."

She rolled her eyes, losing herself to the easy game. "What kinda guy are you exactly?"

"Can I say _your_ guy without risking death?"

She considered it, "I'll have to talk it over with the board of directors…we'll get back to you."

And, an hour later, they still were at it. It wasn't until she heard a knock on her door, and shuffling feet, that she managed to glance at the clock. "Wow, it's late."

"Are you trying to hang up on me? Smooth, Diana, Smooth."

Diana smiled, holding her phone aloft, "We both have to work tomorrow…and it's midnight."

"The time for lovers—wait, don't hang up, that was a joke!"

"Sure," she felt movement on her left. She turned to find the detective perched in his usual position, his fingers digging into his knees. "Give me a second, my security is here." She pulled the phone away, letting her smile slide from her lips, before she asked. "Can I help you?"

He pointed to her phone, "I'll wait until you end your call."

She blinked, rolled her eyes hard before she turned away from him. She hated that he just assumed she would. "I have to go now, Jason."

"What?" It was cute, he sounded so disappointed.

"We have work tomorrow. I'm not going to cover for you—I don't know you that well."

"I thought we were _friends_."

"I thought we'd just met."

"Don't be that way, we have a _connection_."

"Oh my god, I'm hanging up. Why are you such a weirdo?" She couldn't help her laugh, even in His Majesty's presence.

"I'm only weird for you."

"_Good-bye_, Jason."

"Good-bye, Princess." He then added, "Dream of me?"

She closed her eyes, "Good-_night_, Jason."

"Sweet dreams, Princess."

With a roll of her eyes, she quickly pressed end, closing the device. Not turning to face him, she addressed L with a yawn. "Did you _need_ something?"

"Not particularly," he said, "I just find your couch much more comfortable than mine and I finally got a break in my work…so I could enjoy it."

Diana had half a mind to flip her coffee table over. She could feel the urgent need twitching beneath her skin, but she reached for her calm. She reached for it.

Breathe. There. All better.

Diana stifled a laugh, choosing sarcasm as her weapon instead of a physical response. "_Really_? I'm glad. Feel free to enjoy yourself then." She rose to her feet, walking towards her bedroom door, "I'm actually really tired, so…_I'm_ going to sleep. Knock yourself out. I've kept it warm for you. It's the _least_ I could do for your _majesty_."

She managed to open her bedroom door without so much as looking at him, as he said quietly, "I'm not the one being called a princess."

And he was right. He sure as hell wasn't.

Diana closed the door swiftly behind her and turned the lock. Even if she had a _thousand_ nightmares, he wouldn't have to go out of his way to 'rescue' her. She was just so _thoughtful_ like that.

* * *

**Author's Note: Guys! The reviews were so awesome! I _loved _them, and I'm glad you guys like it so far. As the summary suggests, it's going to get a little angsty from here so please bear with me. Again, thanks so much!**


	6. Chapter 6: Unbent

**Back To You**

Chapter Six: Unbent

* * *

_"I don't want to talk to you."_

_Naomi whined, "Why not?"_

_Diana crossed her arms, "Because if I do, I'll only get angry and hurt your feelings. And I don't feel like it right now."_

_"We should talk about this, Diana. Get it all out in the open!"_

_"No."_

* * *

"Good morning, Miss Belle." Watari greeted politely. "I do hope you slept well."

Diana offered him a smile. "I did actually, thank you for asking. And how are you, Mr. Watari?"

"I am perfectly well." Watari guided her deeper into the room, "I realize it's probably a little too early for you, but would you like to join us for breakfast?"

Diana noticed then that L had removed himself from his screens long enough to sit in front of a laptop while eating thickly glazed cinnamon rolls at the dining table. He had at least ten at his disposal, and Diana had no doubt that at the very least eight would be consumed. As he pushed one into his mouth, his gaze flickered over to her.

"I'm not really a huge fan of…cinnamon rolls." She looked back to Watari apologetically. It was only seven o'clock. Unlike her other co-stars, she didn't need to be on set until ten today, but she was going to go early despite that, if only to get away from the hotel. "But, thank you for the offer."

Watari's brow furrowed slightly, but he nodded, "Of course, I could prepare anything else you'd prefer..."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll just head to set now. I'm sure Klein is growing bored. Picking on me for a while, will give him something to do." Diana gave Watari's shoulder a slight squeeze as she walked past him toward the hallway out of the suite. "Thank you, as always, Watari."

"It is my pleasure, Miss Belle." Watari took a deep breath before he asked, "are you sure I cannot temp you to stay a while longer? I do rather enjoy your company."

Diana laughed at that, pleased by the sweet confession. "That's very sweet, Watari, but I think that the detective does not share the sentiment and I wouldn't want to _distract_ him with my presence any more than I have to." Her voice was cold, still bitter about her dismissal and L's sudden decision to come to her room uninvited. The memory of it clung to her clothes and haunted her mind. "I'll see you when I get back. Enjoy your day."

She turned and began walking towards the door without a single glance back. Throughout this exchange, L had not said a word. His eyes were stuck to her face. Diana could feel them as easily as if he were touching her. She expected as much, and it was making things both easier and harder. Easier because she didn't have to talk to him, harder, because she knew she was pulling Watari between them. Forcing him to be her shield. Diana felt a little guilty, but not enough to stop.

Upon her return, she entered the sitting area with a certain lightness in her step. In her hands, she held a large bouquet of deep red roses. "Hello, Mr. Watari."

"Good evening, Miss Belle. I hope your day at set was a pleasant one."

"It was, actually," she responded, her lips curling into a smile without her permission as she held the flowers closer. "My co-star had these brought to me before I left. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Quite." He agreed with a glance to his left before asking, "Are roses your favorite flower?"

"Not at all," she said with a shrug, "I don't really have a favorite flower. I like most of them, if I'm being honest. The gift is just very thoughtful." _Some people aren't so thoughtful. Some people behave like complete assholes for no reason._

"Of course. Would you be joining us for dinner this evening, Miss Belle?"

At that, L creeped into her peripheral view. He sat on the couch, eyes glued to two laptops before him. He wasn't speaking to her, and she saw no reason to sit in silence and be ignored while she tried to enjoy her meal.

"I think I'll take it in my room, if you don't mind. I have an album to finish after all." Diana moved toward the door leading into her separate quarters, "And besides, the two of you are hard at work. Thank you though and, naturally, I appreciate it."

Watari raised his eyebrows before giving her a slight bow of his head. "…of course. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"Anything you want to prepare would be just fine." Diana told him clutching the flowers closer. "If you need me before then, let me know."

She made to walk towards her door before a voice stopped her.

"Miss Belle…" the low voice called out to her, "Did you not notice that there is another person in the room besides Watari?"

Diana blinked her eyes like she was surprised, even if she wasn't, not at all. "Oh, I noticed. You just looked so_ focused_. The last thing I wanted to do is interrupt. I didn't want to be rude."

"Blatantly ignoring someone _is_ rude, especially if that person is working on your behalf."

Diana considered this, "You know what? You are _absolutely_ right." She turned on her heel to face him, his eyes glaring hard at her. "I hope you are having a pleasant evening. Is that better? Or, should I bow too?"

L scoffed, his dark eyes flying back to his laptop, "I'm not going to talk to you, if you insist on behaving like a child."

"If my behavior is so childish, I don't see why you'd want to talk to me at all." Diana said with a dark laugh, "And here I thought I was doing you a favor. I honestly thought you wanted to be ignored…at the very least you didn't want me near you. I thought that included talking too."

"If you're going to your room, I suggest you go." L said with a decidedly sharp tone, "There's no point in continuing this discussion, if you're going to act this way."

"Finally," Diana breathed a sigh of relief, "I've been dismissed. It certainly took you long enough."

She turned with that, shutting out anything else he'd want to sneer at her next.

An entire week passed without them so much as greeting one another.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello! Thanks for the follows and favorites. This one is shorter than normal, but I wanted give myself more space to write without following too closely to the self-imposed chapter limit. If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate some feedback from you guys. Reviews are a bit more encouraging, unfortunately.


	7. Chapter 7: Back Again

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Death Note.**

**Back To You**

Chapter Seven: Back Again

* * *

_"So Daniel wants to get back together..." Naomi started._

_"Does he also believe the earth is flat?" Diana asked._

_Naomi squeaked, "What does that have to do with anything?"_

_Diana refused to respond._

_Naomi pursed her lips, "Maybe it is flat...you don't know. Maybe he's right and we're wrong."_

_Diana blinked, "Okay, Sweetie."_

_"Anyway, what should I say?"_

_"Just...no. Don't do the back and forth thing again, Naomi. It will end the same way." Diana said, "That's why I never do it."_

_Kat asked, "So, what, you don't believe in second chances?"_

_Diana shrugged, "Not with me."_

_"Wait," Torelei cut in, "didn't he sell coke?"_

_"No. He _used_ cocaine. He didn't sell it." Naomi added chipperly._

* * *

Let me start by saying that I—

Would rather fight than admit I—

Have an issue.

Do you need a tissue?

I'd rather see you cry, than ever admit I miss you.

Yes. I'm a little boy—

Who plays with his toys—

And I'd rather break them both if ever given a choice.

I know, you have your problems—

It's best if you solve them

A wealthy spoiled girl who _burst_ into stardom.

Do you see fine lines?

Damned if I try.

Why should I waste my time when the whole world is all mine?

Let me start by saying that I—

Don't take my time if I see I—

Found my type.

Do you ever see the light?

I usually tend to float when I fall from such a height.

No. I'm not lazy—

Maybe a little crazy—

My love may devour but yours should only graze me.

I know, that you are a problem—

The worst, if I saw one.

An egotistical jerk who spazes when you call him

Do you see the headlines?

Damned if I try.

Why are you intriguing when your heart is full of ice?

Groaning, Diana closed her eyes. Garbage. _Why do I keep writing garbage?_

"Diana?"

The pencil snapped in her fingers, and she blinked back the strange heat in her chest. "Yes, Britannia?"

Britannia's red hair was cut in a short bob, the bags falling into her green eyes. "You're on in five minutes…are you alright?"

Diana put the pencil aside, glancing down at her notebook. She'd began a poem and as each line continued the writing grew wilder and more crazed as she neared its end. With a sigh, she shut the book. It barely sounded like a poem. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

The fingers of Britannia's right hand clenched together briefly before she released it, "You just…haven't been yourself. You're quieter than normal."

"Oh," Diana took a deep breath and tried to pull on a smile, the celebrity smile, "I've got writer's block again. Sorry about that. I'll do better, Boss."

Brit rolled her eyes with a blush, "Don't be mean, Diana."

Diana giggled at her expression and stood to her feet, determined to put that messy poem behind her. _Where's Jason, anyway? _"You know I love you."

A shadow of concern flickered across her face before she fully gave over to the smile. "Yes, yes, whatever."

Following close behind, Diana caught Klein's careful gaze on her face as she exited the trailer. His raised an eyebrow at her expression.

She knew for a fact that he was probably wondering if she had gotten any more letters. She hadn't, not yet. But, she'd stopped worrying about that a while ago. She knew what her issue was, and it was persistently causing her a lot of problems. She wasn't completely sure why it was an issue, but…it needed addressing. Sooner rather than later. But at the very least…she'd give it another day, after all, it took two to tango (as that annoying saying goes).

()()()

Diana had decided to talk to him. she wouldn't apologize, but she wouldn't continue to freeze him out. She'd spent way more energy wishing she could tear down this wall between them than actually being angry. And since that was the case, there was really no point to this. Besides, she was starting to feel guilty about always shoving poor Watari between them. He had to be getting sick of it too.

For the first part of the morning, and throughout her shower, she replayed their conversation in her head, trying to find missing links. Diana, tried, in vain, to discover what had set him off on her. Wasn't it just the same day that he was so happy to talk to her on the phone? So what changed? _Did I do something?_

_No._ She thought_. I didn't. I was the same. So, what happened?_

_He could be bipolar or something, in which case, it could be something he can't help…no. I don't think that's it either._

She rolled onto her back, staring up at the delicate chandelier above her bed. _Why do I even care? Why does it matter?_

_Maybe because we're stuck in the same space for who knows how long? And this is getting uncomfortable? _Diana chuckled, _maybe…maybe I just miss our back and forth._

Slipping from her bed, she glided to the door before she allowed her fading annoyance to take hold again. With a quick hand, she ripped the door open and immediately started.

She jumped back from the threshold, staring down the detective who had his right hand raised as if to knock. His eyes were wide, showing very clearly his own surprise. Diana blinked rapidly, and expelled the breath she'd somehow managed to hold. "Oh, L…"

Now that he stood before her, shoulders slumped, left hand stuffed into his pocket, messy hair dangling into his eyes like he was some neglected child, she didn't quite know how to begin.

She was reminded, yet again, that he wasn't like her or anyone else. L was a sheltered genius, this exceptional boy who thought ignoring conventions was not only acceptable but normal. His own brilliance made him believe it was okay. It almost wasn't even his fault he was like this. Look at that face…is that the face of someone who knows exactly what they're doing?

"Miss Belle." He began, letting his hand slip into his pocket before continuing, "I thought that perhaps you'd like to join us for lunch."

His voice was its usual monotone, but she could tell that he was trying. He had come here, after all. He'd made it all the way here, before she finished convincing herself to end their stalemate. He still blocked her exit, but she allowed herself to relax, "Oh, what time is it?"

"It's noon actually." L told her, taking a step back and turning, but not actually stepping out of her way. His right hand made it to the back of his neck at the same time that he used his left foot to scratch his right leg.

Diana couldn't help but laugh at the display.

He paused, balancing, before asking with a mild sense of humor in his voice. "Is there something funny?"

She only shook her head, leaning against the doorframe. "Your balance. It's just surprising. That's all."

"Why is that?" his eyes lifted, and the small corners of his mouth curled into a teasing smile.

She pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You just don't look like the most coordinated person in the world."

"What exactly would the most coordinated person in the world look like?"

Diana opened her mouth to reply but abruptly ceased all eye contact. "I'm not having this conversation."

"Does that mean I win?"

"Urgh!" she threw her hands up, before muffling her laugh with her hand. "You are impossible, Detective."

He stepped to the side with that smug little smile of his, allowing her to walk by him. She steadfastly avoided his gaze, her cheeks burning. "You never answered my question."

Diana finally looked over at him, "Yes. I'd like lunch."

L lulled his head to the side, leaning forward, "That's not the one I was referring to."

Diana raised an eyebrow in question.

"Does your refusal to answer mean I win?"

"Dear God, L." What was it that was so magnetic about him? what made her want to both toss him from a window, and grab him by the shirt and tug him closer? The need was at the very tips of her fingers, the very muscles in her legs. Instead of doing that, she just stepped closer, "I didn't know we were having a battle…Detective."

Those dilated eyes—for just a moment—seemed to shrink as they locked gazes. His eyes instead slipped away from her, and he leaned his head back towards the ceiling. "Yes. I guess it does mean I win."

Her answering laugh was enough to erase all other hesitation. She reached toward him, slipped her hand into his cold one, lacing their fingers, before tugging him out of the room. Without a word, he allowed it, giving her a small squeeze back.

Just like that.

During lunch, L was able to reveal that Dorne had in fact been notified by Logan and he had attempted to delete all traces connecting him to the incident. L, of course, had already obtained this information, but he wanted to see him in action. L had planned a very detailed, very dramatic takedown of the two of them, and decided to look even further into Dorne, drawing his eyes to even more issues in Dorne's past.

Diana was excited to listen. She was excited to listen to anything, really. Even when he was working on other things, she liked to hear him talk about them. His focus was inspiring, mesmerizing even.

"Can I sit next to you?" she'd asked one day, after finishing work and unwinding. "If you have to focus…I understand."

He didn't answer for a moment, and she had made to turn away with a shrug before he called her back. "No…it's quite alright. This one isn't quite as confidential."

"What is it about?" She took up residence right next to him, and hid her legs beneath her. her knee, somehow managed to touch his leg and she laughed, "I'm sorry. Do you want me to move over?"

"No. It's fine." L managed to mumble, his voice almost shaky.

She took his word for it, "So shoot. Who are the big bads on this?"

With an amused chuckle, he launched into an overview about a jewel thief. She watched him steadily, taking the words in. He bore such an infectious excitement in his eyes. He even went so far as to show her clips, images of the woman committing the crime. She was damn good, apparently, a Catwoman if there ever was.

"You know," Diana said, all knowingly, "If she's Catwoman and you're Batman…you know what this means?"

He paused in his typing, and looked over at her, "No."

_Poor L. _"It_ means_ you're destined to fall in love and battle for eternity."

L blinked, "I'll have to pass on that."

She just laughed, loving his deadpan response. "Too bad. She's cute."

"She's a criminal."

"Yes, yes. Cry me a river."

The days that passed were just like this. Pleasant. Easy. It made her show up to work with even more enthusiasm than before, and all of her coworkers were starting to notice.

"Wow, Diana," Britannia had told her one day on set. "You're on fire. What are you doing?"

"Nothing different. I still exercise the same and eat the same…I guess I'm just happier?"

"I'll tell my girlfriend. She'll be happy to hear it." Britannia paused, "she was worried about you."

"Good. When this curfew of mine is over, I'll have to take you and Mari out to eat."

Britannia was more than a little happy to hear that.

()()()

As the days past, their weird 'fight' faded into the back of her mind. It was a ghost of a memory now, almost as if it had never happened.

"What's this?" L asked, peering over her shoulder as she fingered through her notebook.

"I've finally been able to write." She told him, flipping through the pages. "Most of these are just short poems, but tomorrow I should be able to turn many of these into full songs."

Diana watched L's eyes as they perused her writing with unabashed interest. They were speedy little things, watching her hands as she moved along the pages. "Do you often write from experience?"

She nodded, turning another page and settling on her latest scribbling of lines. "I have to most of the time, otherwise the emotion just isn't there. Sometimes I can just imagine it though, what it feels like to be in a certain situation? And I live in that feeling until I finish the song and can finally escape."

"It sounds like it can be quite draining."

Diana sighed, noticing for the first time, the warmth from his arm that was pushed into hers. "It can, but it just depends on the subject matter. Happy, delirious songs are easier to write."

"Delirious?"

She almost just gave him a dead look until she realized, he had no idea what she was talking about. "Well, you know that feeling you get when you have a crush on someone? It feels intense and somehow light at the same time? Unimportant and yet all consuming? It's reckless, and a perfect example of the honeymoon phase. Everything a person does or says is paramount—it's…" she started talking with her hands, trying to shape the example into fruition but finding, even her words, could fall short. "It's…everything. Those are easy."

"From your description, it sounds like they wouldn't be."

"They are actually, because like a crush, it's usually surface level. There are no issues, no flaws. You don't see a person's imperfections in this stage and it's easy to fixate on what you want them to be. You can turn an average Joe into a prince because, well, everyone is a prince when you first meet them, aren't they?" she asked, again, remembering he'd have no idea. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that you probably don't know what I mean from experience, that is."

L's gazed at her from the corner of her eye. "Regardless, I enjoyed your explanation. It revealed a great deal to me about your character."

"Oh, did it?" she teased, "I thought you already knew all about my character."

"People have ways of surprising you." He said, "you can't definitively say you completely know anyone. You can know enough to possibly predict their behavior, but that doesn't mean you know them."

"L." she said, making him turn more toward her to wait for her to continue. "You know…I thought that at some point hearing you talk would get old, that I wouldn't find it nearly as interesting as I do. That eventually the color and glimmer would fade to gray…" For some reason, L chose this moment to swallow, having not actually eaten anything for at least two minutes. "You love to prove me wrong, don't you? It's like you live for it."

"Judging by your tone…I assume this is your way of complimenting me?" he phrased it like a question, but they both knew it wasn't.

"It is." She agreed.

His next response was quiet, strangely hesitant, "…then, thank you."

"You're very welcome, L." she then added with a smile. "Always."

His fingers dug into his jeans again as they stayed still in that moment, just looking. After a while, he pulled away, leaned forward to grab a piece of cake and gulped it down…eliminating the magic.

He always did it.

She returned her eyes to her notebook, and wrote the number eight in the corner of the notebook. It signaled the instrumental she was going to use for it from the list one of her producers had sent her.

"Can you read one to me?" L asked suddenly.

She pursed her lips, "They aren't finished."

"I realize that. I'm just curious."

She pulled her book closer to her chest. "I don't know…"

"Well, you_ are_ watching _me_ work…it's only fair."

Diana tilted her head to the side, considering. "How about I just let you read it?"

"I'd rather hear you read it."

"Why?"

"You're the only one who knows how it should be read."

She said nothing.

"Am I wrong?"

She rolled her eyes, "You _know _you're not wrong, I don't even know why you had to ask."

Chuckling, he gestured toward the book. "Read this one."

Feeling cornered, she let out a huff of air, "Fine. But remember, it's unfinished."

"Noted."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't." he reminded her, eyes gleaming in that strange way she liked. "You're just annoyed I'm right."

"I hate you, _so_ very much."

L smugly replied, "Your laughing tells me otherwise."

She let her head fall back against the sofa before she began:

"Can you imagine the two of us?

Where nobody knows us?

Where nobody is hiding from you?

Where nobody wants me?

Nobody haunts me?

And all I really want is you?

Is that too much to ask?

Is something that'll last?

Or is it too good to be true?

So, let's ignore it,

No need to explore it

Let it fade into blue.

But whenever you want me

Baby, just call me

And believe I'll always want you."

She sighed, letting it fall back into her lap, "Satisfied, L?"

"Quite." He said smugly, "Only, I have a few questions."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

"Who is this 'baby' character?"

She couldn't help her answering laugh, "L, you know who baby is. Baby is anyone!"

"Anyone." He reiterated with a wicked smirk.

"Right. I can't exactly name drop, can I? I don't think I'm on that level yet."

"I disagree." He said, "But that would certainly cause a media frenzy, so I see why you'd hesitate."

"Oh, God."

His long, white fingers brushed hers as they drew a line beneath the print. "Now, the line 'where nobody is hiding from you' is interesting to me. What do you mean exactly?"

"Hm? Oh, um…" she thought about it, "I'm not actually sure where that came from. I guess it rhymed?"

"So, you're saying you chose these words for no particular reason?"

"I guess." She admitted with a sigh. "It sounds nice."

His brow furrowed slightly, "Your next two lines actually indicates that you were speaking from experience. It mirrors your current predicament perfectly. And yet…the third line was…a blip?"

Again, she gave a big shrug. "If that's what you want to call it—wait! Actually, I may have been thinking about the movie when I wrote those lines. You're familiar with the plot, right?"

"Right." He said, his shoulders sinking further, "Can you read another?"

Without further adieu, weirdly happy that he found her writing so interesting, interesting enough to distract him from his _important_ detective work. "Here goes."

In my dreams I find you with me

Holding close all my fears

I wake in terror because you leave me

Begging you to come here

These are the words I will never say,

These are the thoughts that will never meet day

But take my hand, so we dance in this forever

In this brief moment in time

Even in dreams mirroring reality, you could never truly be mine

He paused, a finger pressed to his lips. "Do you have another?"

"What?" Diana asked with a laugh, "is it not satisfactory?"

"All of these seem to tell of a forbidden love, one that ultimately ends." He mused as he seemed to scoot closer. It felt like her entire right side was pressed into his left and she was surprised to find that the rest of him wasn't nearly as cold as his hands.

"What's wrong with forbidden? Isn't that what makes it exciting?"

He wasn't having it. "Read a happier one."

She giggled, "Fine. You're so bossy."

"Can I pick?" He asked oddly.

Watching him with a curious expression, she allowed it. he reached over, brushing her skin as he flipped forward a few pages to one, she guessed, he had seen her thumb through.

"This one." L settled back, "I like this one."

Diana paused for a second, "How do you know you like it, if you haven't read it?"

"I've been reading over your shoulder." He deadpanned, "That's how."

"Oh, God." She took a deep breath, but she couldn't shake the feeling that maybe…just maybe, L's been reading her notebooks. Well, it wouldn't be surprising at the very least. Still, the thought was a little annoying. And invasive.

Gritting her teeth, she began:

"You're a fever dream high

A perfect night sky

A storm when I want it

It's basic instinct

Awake when I sleep

If I had you, I'd flaunt it."

She abruptly cut off, hiding her face with her hand, "You are judging me, right now."

"That's untrue." He said with a slightly smug undertone to his voice. "I am just interested in your thought process. You forget, Diana, that I am a fan of yours. I've listened to a great deal of your more…delirious music as you so put it."

"It's sounds so weird when I read it without music or context."

"I assure you…it doesn't."

"Then you read it."

"I rather like the sound of your voice," he said. "I'd rather if you read it."

_Damnit. _He got her.

She continued:

I want you in the worst way,

An actor in my play,

A dramatic love story

You hold me in the night,

Demons when we fight

You go for the glory

L chuckled.

She ignored him, reading on more stanza:

Ocean blue eyes

Tall but my type,

Easy to trust you

Dark blue jeans,

Plain black tee

You know that I want you

She ended it there, closing the book. "That's enough for one day."

L seemed to almost frown down at the closed book. "The last stanza seems almost disconnected from the rest."

"Oh…yeah. I guess it is."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Nothing, I just decided to change the lines."

"What did they say before?"

"I don't remember."

"Can I see it?" without waiting for a response, he took the notebook, flipped back to the page. He held it out from the book and against the light, where they could see the words that used to be there. He read:

If you're a mad, mad world

I must be a crazy, dumb girl

I know you're not changing

If I'm all anger and fire,

You're the worst kind of desire

A chance worth taking

"It actually sounds better this way, doesn't it?" He asked, not meeting her gaze.

"Yes…" she began, "But, I've already changed it."

"Is it too late to change it back?"

Diana's eyes darted towards the door, "Yes, it is."

"I see."

She said nothing.

"That's too bad."

She nodded her head as the quiet filled the room. "I should get back to my room."

He nodded in response, as she stood to leave.

She made it almost to the door when he called back to her, "You left your notebook."

He held it out to her, pinched between two fingers as he stared back at his screens.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," He said, "Good night…Miss Belle."

She stopped at her door again, "L." she said sternly "I won't keep reminding you, call me Diana."

He gave her that childish smile that seemed to light up the whole world, shifting his face completely. "Sleep well, Diana."

She gave him a weak smile, pulling herself into her room before slumping against the door. And to think…they had started on a mountain, only to fall back into a valley.

* * *

A/N: I do not claim to be a great writer of poems or songs, but this was fun for me. I wonder if actual song writers feel this weird when writing these things? I do admire poem and song writers, even making them up randomly is hard for me. so kudos to them.

Anyway, I imagine Watari had a lot to do with L deciding to 'make amends' without actually apologizing. And, Diana, of course, is partially letting it slide. She seems to think that L is incapable of thinking like the rest of world which, in all honesty, is not the best grounds for a relationship. She expects everything and nothing. It's a lot to put on inexperienced L, but he is a genius. He'll figure it out. Besides, I don't think she gives him enough credit which is weird considering she also gives him so much credit.

Thanks for the love and review **Namesareplaceholders.** She has cut him some slack, but they always end up in a weird place. Not quite sure what to expect of each other or even where they are but are flat out refusing to actually ask...like adults (not that adults always talk out their issues).


	8. Chapter 8: Unattainable

**Back To You**

Chapter Eight: Unattainable

* * *

"_I thought you said you didn't like James." Naomi asked with a whine._

"_I did." Diana responded, "But, he's different now…he seems more mature."_

"_Now that he's with Gigi?"_

"_What?"_

* * *

Diana was feeling frustrated. To be completely frank, she was horny as a bitch. She was extremely and exhaustingly horny. And something about exercise, even this early in the morning, just made it worse. Maybe it was the way her muscles clenched and tightened? Maybe it was suggestive positions she and Klein were in as they moved through her dances and basic exercises? His thick hands pushing against her raised legs? Maybe it was the long mirrors against the walls that showed off how delicious and touchable her body looked, especially in her fitted exercise leggings and matching sports bra? And she wasn't being conceited, she worked her ass off for her shape. Well, maybe not her ass. She loved her ass. Especially now, when she was sexually frustrated and wished she had someone to appreciate all of her hard work, to grab, and bite and kiss…

"Urgh!" Diana screamed as she slumped forward, her body flat between her legs as she stretched. her legs were stretched as wide as they would go, which was also a horrible position, because it just made her mind wander through hell.

Klein laughed, his black tank top and shorts snug against him. "Having trouble?"

She didn't raise her head to look at him. Klein was like a brother to her, really, he was but…she couldn't risk looking at him, not when she was like this. The temptation would be too much. "Is it easy being married?"

He snorted, "Weird question to ask during workouts but…no, not really. It's worth it, but…it's not easy."

"Since Maven was born?" Diana said, still talking to the mat. Klein was both her and L's first choice to help her with her daily exercises since she couldn't have her usual personal trainer. He was a godsend. Just not today. And where was this even coming from? She hasn't been this frustrated since she was sixteen and her parents had her under lock and key. "My bundle of joy?"

Klein stood in front of her, she could see his shoes as she stretched and he squatted. Without a suit, he looked so normal, even like a boy next door with his lightly tanned skin and brown eyes. She could also see the prominent leg and arm muscles on perfect display. She could imagine how easy it would be for him to wrap her legs around his waist. How effortless it would be for him to hold her against—

"Diana?"

"Hmm?" She'd stopped listening. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked how long were you going to stay like that?"

With a sigh, she lifted her torso and brought her arms back to rest on her elbows. She brought one leg up while the other lay stretched straight.

When they locked eyes, she noticed that his were dilated. He abruptly stood to his feet, put his hands on his hips and turned away from her. He chose to stare into the mirror instead, but found her again and decided to just look to the left. "I think we're good for the day. Nell should be very proud. You're in excellent form."

"Thanks. I'll pass on the compliment."

At least she wasn't the only one frustrated. His wife had been pregnant, she'd just given birth….He actually had it worse than she. She could _solve_ her problem, if she wanted to. Jason would jump at the chance but…she hadn't wanted to…not even a little. That, in itself, was a little frustrating, especially since she couldn't figure out why.

Klein left her soon after. She was proud of him; he was probably beating himself up about being attracted to her with such a wonderful wife at home. He was one of the good ones, but he was still human. It's a was cute display of restraint and love. Maybe she'd have that too, when she was his age?

She flipped on her stereo and attempted some choreography while she had the free time. It was one of her new songs, one of the few she'd written that you could actually dance to. More often than not, she wrote R&B/Soul music, but every now and then, she couldn't help but write some upbeat pop song. She didn't quite feel complete without one. In fact, her last album was decorated in pop music, which had, in fact, made her into the house hold name she was today. Still…

_I want to take it slow but you're in my veins_

_Saying, 'It's a game, would you like to play?'_

_It's really black but you say it's grey_

_Losing my mind, is that the price I'll pay?_

Pause. Step.

_Telling you my secrets, whisper, "I don't wanna wait."_

_Taking my hand, have me feelin' great_

_It's feels all wrong, but I can't escape_

_I can maybe go, but it's much too late-babe_

The beat changes here, rising to meet the chorus—

Looking up into the mirror, she almost screams, but clutches her stomach instead, "Damnit, L. you scared the _life _out of me."

Wearing a most amused expression, he saunters in, his shoes slapping against the hardwood as he dragged them, his shoe laces swimming. "I hope not. That would be a horrible way to die, I think."

Diana shrugged, stepping over to her stereo to shut the music off, "I can think of worse ways." her fingers linger over the buttons, "Besides, I think I'd rather _you_ kill me than some stalker."

She watched his face switch into one of excited interest. She watched as a finger found its way to his lips as he grinned. "Why is that?"

Diana spun to face him, swaggering toward him. "It's all in the method."

"And how _would _I kill you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked as she reached out, drawing his eye to her outstretched hand. His eye then travelled up, towards her amber eyes. In his eyes she found a heavy warmth there, something suffocating, something she could feel constrict around her throat. "Softly…" she dropped her arm, just before she touched him. "of course."

Silence, taunt, stood between them. She let it build, let his eyes burn into her face a moment longer before she laughed, releasing the strange tension at once. "Anyway, what brings you here detective? If you wanted to watch me embarrass myself, you're a little late."

Stepping forward, he allowed his eyes to ghoulishly survey the room. "You didn't embarrass yourself."

"How would you know?" she asked, her suspicion wiping its eyes awake. "You weren't here. I could've done all kinds of embarrassing things."

"Judging by Klein's expression when he left…you did quite the opposite." L muttered, eyeing himself in the mirror, tilting his head at his own appearance, almost as if he didn't know himself.

L moved on quickly enough, but Diana was having trouble balancing out what his words meant. "Meaning…?"

L leaned forward, much like a cat who thinks he's spotted another cat, one debating attacking. "You know the human body is a strange thing, there are just certain reactions we are incapable of controlling."

Diana said nothing, moving toward him for some reason, even as this strange air filled around them making it stuffy.

"It can be very frustrating." L sighed. "Especially when the reactions are so obvious."

_You're telling me. _Diana laughed, coming closer now, watching. "I get that." She said instead, stepping front of him, hiding him from himself. "Just this morning I was having trouble focusing…"

"A common issue of yours." He commented, and she grinned. It was as if someone had thrown open the doors, allowed the outside air to come pouring in.

"Yes! I agree, but it was all your fault, you know." Diana stepped closer, "I couldn't shake the dream I had of you last night."

His brow lifted, minutely, "A dream?"

"A _wild_ one." She nodded, "We had a fight."

"We always have a fight." L said offhandedly, "Perhaps, you were awake."

Rolling her eyes, she pushed his shoulder lightly as she suppressed her laugh. "This one was _physical _and…naturally, I won."

At that, his eyes brightened, "_Naturally_?"

"That's what I said." She lifted her eyebrows, challenging him.

He held her gaze, "Let's test that theory."

Wordlessly, he walked toward the navy mats, still stretched out. Grinning, disbelief flooding her veins, she followed because…what else could she do?

L couldn't restrain himself from a plate of cherries. How would he ever restrain her?

"Whatever you want, Detective." She said, watching as he removed his shoes, kicking them to the side. "Should I take off my shoes too?"

"There's no need." L said, his voice growing deeper as his conceit shinned through. "You won't be able to hit me."

_No you didn't! _Diana covered her mouth as she laughed, "Really, Detective?"

He was nothing if not confident, his eyes teased her. "I'm stronger than I look."

She bit her lip, stepping closer, throwing them into the game with wild abandon. She couldn't help it, it was mess of nerves and coloring dancing around her head. She took a on a defensive position, but as always, she couldn't hold it for long. She struck first.

His arms snapped through the air like white snakes, grabbing her arm and then her leg. He pulled them to the mat, taking zero time to subdue her with his weight. His iron legs secured her thighs while his arms held hers above her head in a vice grip.

She didn't bother struggling. She was laughing too hard anyway, laughter took out every ounce of her strength. On another note, this was the closest they had ever been. His hands, of course, were cold stone, but the rest of him, heated like a furnace. She felt that strange pull—the one she felt earlier—leak into her core. Her heart sped. _Weird. _But, it also wasn't. She'd never considered L a physical being, he was more abstract—a word, an idea. This proved he could be more, he _was _more.

"I guess you win." She said, speaking low, whispering even though they were completely alone. No one could hear them.

His voice was husky, breathless even though he didn't seem the least bit winded, "What do I win?"

"You want a _prize,_ Detective?" she asked incredulously.

"Shouldn't I?" He asked, his voice distractingly deep.

Her lips fumbled her smile, she rolled her eyes, breathing deeply, "What do you want?"

His eyes darkened, trembled really, his hands lost a bit of their strength—

A knock against the door pulled his arms away entirely and Watari stuck his head through the door, "I apologize for the interruption, but if Miss Belle does not leave within the next six minutes, she will be late."

"Of course. Thank you, Watari." Quicker than a snake, L flashed to his feet, showing off some more of that strangely placed agility. If she had an urge to touch him before, it was a full-blown need now, an impulse difficult to restrain. He reached down, and easily pulled her to her feet. Without a second thought, she used her momentum to come into his chest. She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, pressing her lips against the soft, smooth skin.

Pulling away, she found herself satisfied with the deer-in-the-headlights look he was giving her. his right hand flew to the cheek, as if she just planted a butterfly and he was trying to stop it from escaping. "I'll see you when I get back, Detective. Take this time—if you have any—to think about that prize you wanted. I'm not sure there's anything I could give you that you don't already have."

He didn't respond, he stood opened mouthed as he watched her leave. She gave him a wave, allowing the patient gentleman to lead her from the room.

_That's a first. _Diana mused._ Who would have thought…an innocent little kiss could make him speechless?_

She shook her head, that L was a special one.

* * *

MsPotatoTwo (Guest): Thank you so much for the review! I am very glad it made you smile and I really cannot express how happy your review made me. I absolutely adore it.

Elias (Guest): I appreciate the love. The reviews are a big reminder to update.

Namesareplaceholders: I really appreciate it and I love the investment. It helps keep me on track. But, really L's a little unsure of what he sees. He has her figured out, but definitely not in the romantic sense. The poetry helps, but he needs something definitive. No sideguys or back up plans can be in the picture. He needs a straight up confession or he won't be satisfied lol None of this dancing around the bush will do. Which is tricky because Diana loves the dancing.


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